Icy Blue
by brunette89
Summary: DG has a habit of getting herself into trouble... and this time is no different.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

DG knew sneaking out was dangerous, but at the moment, the only thing going through her head was a rush of adrenaline. She felt like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, with every twitch of a finger planned and she had to get out of there.

After she heard the sound of chimes passing by her window, DG ran to the balcony and watched a Gypsy caravan pass by.

She was inspired.

DG fashioned a cliché bed sheet rope, tied it securely to the railing of the balcony, fastened a hooded cape around her neck, and swung herself to the ground.

She would be a gypsy for tonight.

When the gypsies reached the encampment, DG hid behind the bushes until the festivities began. Everyone donned brightly colored masks and DG fashioned one for herself, lest she be recognized. One man sitting near the fire began playing a haunting tune on a pan flute and a few women began to dance.

DG couldn't help herself; she left her cape behind a tree and joined the dance. Before coming out of her hiding place, she modeled her own attire after one of the women so she wouldn't stick out, and no one seemed to notice that she wasn't one of them.

DG lost herself in the music, arms circling above her head, hair in her face. In a short time, others also joined in the dance and DG felt herself being pulled into a traditional dance by a very strong man. He effortlessly lifted her off the ground and DG danced nearly every dance with him.

She couldn't help herself, his energy was magnetizing.

"You dance as though you've done this your whole life. What's your name?" He asked huskily in her ear.

"Gwen," She lied quickly, inhaling the incense and smoke that swirled around her. She felt herself swiftly losing control of her body and it seemed like she was watching herself from the outside. She watched as 'Gwen' flirted lucidly, while DG was tied to a tree watching.

'Gwen' was a natural; DG could tell that the gypsy man thought her sexy. Suddenly, the man kissed 'Gwen's neck and DG tried to feel what 'Gwen' had to be feeling, but she couldn't. She saw her clone turn around and kiss the stranger, and suddenly DG tasted wine. The man led DG's counterpart away from the fire and into the dark trees, and DG knew nothing else.


	2. Chapter 2

DG was dreaming. She had to be.

She was standing in the middle of a bankless lake, covered in an icy mist, but it wasn't cold. DG looked below her and saw no reflection, only a bright, almost blinding light. Only then did she realize that she was almost naked, were it not for a translucent dress of gossamer, so light she could only feel a shiver on her skin.

She suddenly felt the need to cover herself, but she realized that there was no one else around. She shook her head slightly and her hair fell over one shoulder, long enough to reach her knees.

DG knew she was dreaming then.

She smelled the air around her and it tasted sweet, like the way lavender smells. DG looked at her feet again and realized that there was nothing but water below her. Instantly, DG was plunged into icy water and fabric swirled around her face. DG tried to scream but water rushed into her mouth and she couldn't get it out. The more she pumped her legs, the quicker she sank. The world around her began to grow dark and DG's mind raced for something, anything that could save her.

Suddenly, it was coming to her: the silhouette of someone swimming towards her. As they came closer, she began to recognize them, but she couldn't figure out who they were. The world grew so dim that the last thing DG saw before all went dark was a pair of icy blue eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

DG sat up and gasped for air, never so happy to be able to breathe in her life. She knew at once that she was lying in the rushes beside the lake, only 50 yards from where the gypsy bonfire was now dwindling. She still smelled sweet lavender and she looked down, realizing she was wearing little more than a gossamer dress and her hair was long enough to sit on.

DG's jaw dropped in surprise.

She pinched herself to make she was awake, and sure enough, it hurt like hell. She was baffled, but she didn't have time to wonder anymore because she heard someone approaching.

"DG? Where are you?" Cain's voice sounded across the lake. She was too grateful to hear his voice to care that she was almost naked. Cain was walking along the opposite bank and he caught sight of DG as she stood, moonlit and beyond gorgeous.

He did nothing but stare as she slowly raised her hand and waved. She looked nothing short of god-like.

DG waved at Cain who seemed paralyzed as he stared right back at her. He wasn't in his usual duster and fedora, just his light cotton shirt and khaki pants, oh and holster of course.

DG was taken with him all at once; the moonlight seemed to turn his blonde hair gold and outline the toned muscles beneath his thin shirt. DG felt another force inside her, but this time, she was in control.

She cautiously toed the water and it instantly turned to sturdy ice. DG knew it to be magic that made it so, so she trusted it. She stepped out onto the icy lake and focused all her energy on reaching Cain, who still looked paralyzed. She didn't know what was willing her to go to him, but she wanted… needed to reach him.

"Gwen!" A gruff voice broke her concentration and the ice cracked beneath DG, plunging her into the water, just like in her dream. The fabric swirled all around her, defying any sense of direction, and DG felt herself sinking quickly. Her vision grew dim, but not before she saw someone coming… swimming towards her. She was helpless, but finally they reached her. And just as in the dream, the last thing she saw before she blacked out was a pair of icy blue eyes.

Cain gasped for air as he finally surfaced, DG in arm. She was unconscious. He laid her down on the bank and caught sight of a gypsy man across the lake. He raised a gun and took aim at Cain yelling something incoherent, but not before Cain grabbed his gun from the holster on the ground and shot the man in the leg.

"She's mine!" The man shouted through clenched teeth, but Cain ignored him, attention turned back to the still unconscious DG. Cain took her pulse and was relieved to find her heart still beating. He immediately took her mouth in his and did what he could to breathe for her.

DG wasn't responding.

Cain frantically did what he could to reinvigorate her breathing, but DG lay virtually lifeless at his feet. A shot rang out and Cain felt searing pain as a bullet tore through his arm. Cain was knocked to the ground by the impact and he looked across the lake to see the gypsy man cocking his gun for another shot. Cain tried to turn his attention back to DG but was caught in the other shoulder and he found himself unable to move his arms. He cried out in pain and frustration as he tried to will his body to move, for DG's sake.

Finally, his body gave up and he too fell out of consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

DG was awake, but she knew that this was another dream. A woman's kind eyes looked down at her as DG felt herself being healed by the woman's powers. The woman smiled.

"It's time for you to awake, DG," the woman pulled her hands from their former position, hovering above DG's torso. "He needs you."

"Who needs me? Who are you?" DG sat up.

"I am Glinda. That is all you need know." The woman turned and practically floated into a great expanse of white.

"Wait! WHO needs me?" DG repeated.

"Wake up and you will see." Glinda vanished, as if a bubble had popped.

DG jolted awake and her eyes immediately settled on Cain who lay beside her, gravely injured. DG felt her eyes well as she surveyed his wounds. There was a shout from across the lake but DG ignored it, setting her mind on how to get the bullets out of Cain. By Glinda's grace, she suddenly knew what she had to do. She unbuckled Cain's belt and coaxed it out of the belt loops, blushing fiercely in the process. Then, she placed it between his teeth.

At once, she stood and held her hands over him, closing her eyes and willing the bullets to come to her, as Azkadellia had done with the rock in the depths of the great lake. As her magic flowed through his body, Cain began to convulse and DG concentrated harder. As she furrowed her eyebrows, each bullet was pulled from his body and came to rest in her palm. She threw the hot bits of metal aside and placed her hands over the open wounds. Each gash closed and DG pulled the belt from Cain's teeth before returning his earlier favor of CPR. Finally, he opened his eyes and DG threw her arms around his neck. Unbeknownst to either DG or Cain, an aura of light surrounded them. Only when a spray of bullets rang out did DG realize that they were not being hit.

"I claimed her last night! She is mine!" The forgotten gypsy man raged. DG felt her stomach drop at the implication.

"She is no man's property," Cain retorted, standing and pulling DG behind him. She clung to the back of his shirt and tried to imagine what the man had done to her body.

"Gypsy women are property of the land, and Gypsy men own the land. She is mine to do what I like."

"She is the crown princess Dorothy of the house of Gale, not a landed slut." DG couldn't believe the passion with which Cain was defending her. She suddenly felt very vulnerable.

"Prove it." The man sneered. Cain turned to DG who immediately wrapped her arms around his neck to find any safety she could.

"Deej, now's your chance. Show him your magic." DG shook her head.

"I… I can't. I'm afraid…"

"Yes you can. All you have to do is show him who you are." DG nodded and unclasped her hands from around Cain's neck, once more locking gaze with his piercing eyes. He nodded in reassurance and DG stepped forward to face the lake and the gypsy man. She closed her eyes, silently calling the 'afore discarded bullets to her. They came, and DG bade them skip along the surface of the water and swirl around the man. The gypsy man was so afraid of DG's power that he dropped to the ground, prostrate in fear. DG healed the man's leg and then opened her eyes, watching him scramble to his feet and run into the wood, disappearing forever.

DG let a sob escape and her knees buckled, leaving Cain but a moment to catch her. He sat carefully on the ground, cradling the princess as she sobbed into his shirt.

"I'm a whore!" DG cried. "I let a man have his way with me and I don't even remember it! And now, I'm standing out here in little more then a bed sheet!" DG felt Cain tense at this, after all, he's only human, and she immediately remedied the situation with her Otherside clothes.

"You can't have known what you were doing," Cain cooed. "Gypsy incense is known to be potent and hypnotizing."

"Still! The first man to have me is a stranger, someone I don't even love! And not to mention the fact that I end up out here with super long hair and no clothes." Cain restrained a chuckle at her frankness. DG put her arms around his waist so she could hold fast to him.

"He was your first?" Cain asked quietly, and DG nodded. "Well, I can't explain how you turned up by the lake in… your condition, but I do know that I have you to thank for saving my life." DG hiccupped a laugh in response.

"Twice I dreamed tonight. The first time, I was drowning and someone with light blue eyes saved me." She pulled back to look in his eyes. "It was you." She searched those same eyes for any kind of answer but he was just as clueless as she was.

"I think the Mystic Man is holding me to my oath," Cain observed absent-mindedly. He looked down at DG who still clung to his shirt and brushed a piece of hair off her forehead. "Let's get you inside. We can figure everything else out in the morning." He stood up and pulled DG up, lifting her fireman style. She hugged tightly around his neck as he carried her across the field to the palace, afraid to let go.

When Cain entered the main doors of the palace, he let DG down but she still clung tightly to his arm, beginning to panic. She felt like she could see the gypsy man behind every pillar. Azkadellia, Glitch, and Raw greeted the two, but DG paid no attention. Az gently reached out and touched DG's arm but DG screeched and let a sob escape before Cain could pick her back up.

"She's had a traumatic night," Cain explained as they walked to DG's room. "I'll explain more when she's asleep." He consoled Azkadellia as they reached DG's room. Glitch opened the door for Cain and DG and Cain carefully placed her on the bed. DG let go of his neck and scrambled under the covers, clutching the sheets for dear life. By this point, she was deliriously tired and having a panic attack. Cain sat on the edge of her bed automatically, something he wouldn't have dared to do before tonight.

"Just breathe Deej, everything is going to be alright. Go to sleep, I'll be right here." DG nodded and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

After Cain explained everything to Az, Glitch, and Raw, they were speechless for a moment.

"You mean DG was… raped?" Az asked. Cain nodded.

"Raw can heal. Make DG new again. Make her not be afraid anymore." The man-beast spoke up after a moment. Cain nodded to her door and Raw went in. After a few minutes, he reappeared.

"DG new again. Need few days rest though." Cain nodded and bid the three farewell, entering DG's room again. He pulled up a chair next to her bed and fell asleep, head in hand.


	5. Chapter 5

DG floated in and out of consciousness all night, receiving very little sleep. She was never alerted of Cain's presence except for heavy breathing from beside her bed, and she felt somewhat safe.

When DG awoke for good, it was late morning.

She turned over and eyes gently focused on the empty chair next to her bed. DG sleepily sat up.

"Mr. Cain?" She quietly called. The door to the balcony opened and Cain peered inside, hair slightly mussed on one side from a night of sleeping head-in-hand. DG tried not to giggle at this as he closed the door behind him.

"How are you feeling? He asked cautiously, back in guard-mode.

"Honestly? I feel like shit." She lay back down on her pillows as memories of the night before came flooding back to her. Cain just nodded. "What happened to me, Mr. Cain?" she whispered as the memory of the gypsy man burned its wild eyes into her skull.

"I don't know, kiddo. That's what we've got to figure out." The guard from came down as he watched her eyes fill with tears. A moment of understanding passed between the two before either spoke again.

"Am I pregnant?" DG asked suddenly and Cain practically choked.

"No. Raw says you're fine, just a little fragile." He immediately regretted his choice of words, but you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. "Why do you ask?"

"I dunno. Just seemed like the most logical thing to ask after you've been raped." Cain coughed in surprise. She was mood swinging like no other and he had a feeling that she shouldn't really see anyone else until she got her brain wrapped around her situation. "Mother probably wants to set me up with a snobby Prince. Someone who'll pity the poor Othersider Princess who isn't a virgin." Cain blushed. "As long as I'm not auctioned off, I might be okay with that."

"Sheesh, you're really relaxed for someone who…" Cain stopped as her eyes shot up to look at him. And that's when she exploded.

"Someone who WHAT, Cain? Just got raped? What the hell would you do in my situation?" She was so angry; she couldn't look at him anymore. The tears that had only been at the cusp were now ready to pour.

"I don't know." It was quiet, but Cain didn't miss a beat. DG's face was flooded with tears at this.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?"

"For giving me the most honest answer anyone's given me since I came to the O.Z." DG covered her face with her hands to wipe the trails of tears away. Cain wanted to help her in anyway possible. The thought of the gypsy man and what he had done to DG made anger and hatred rise in his cheeks, something he hadn't felt since the capture of Zero.

"You're welcome." He whispered back after a moment, almost inaudibly.

"Does my mother know?" DG whispered when she was calm again.

"No, only Az, Glitch, and Raw know."

"Good. She doesn't need to know yet. If she asks, tell her I'm under the weather." Cain nodded, glad to see once of her moods was logical.

"Will you be alright if I run and get a plate of food from the kitchen?" He asked as he stood.

"I'm not a fucking invalid, Cain." DG crossed her arms, another mood taking over.

"I know you well enough to know you can handle yourself, just thought I'd ask." Cain opened the door, but not before seeing DG turn away from him and stare out the window.

Once he was gone, DG got out of bed, locked the door, and went out onto the balcony. It was so cool and crisp and the breeze whipped DG's hair around her face. No matter what she tried, she couldn't get the image of the gypsy man to leave her head, and it made her physically ill. More then that, she felt dirty and she longed for a bath, but the thought of water made a bath out of the question. Her eyes glazed over as she lost herself in thought, trying to recall any memories after the winy-savory kiss she had witnessed.

"DG?" Azkadellia knocked on the door and jiggled the handle.

DG didn't answer.

She was ashamed of herself for sneaking out in the first place and she couldn't face Az, especially considering the fact that her hair had magically grown about a yard longer without explanation. Az knocked again, gentler this time, but DG just crept back into bed, pulling the covers over her head. Over the next few minutes, several more knocks came but she ignored them all.

Save one.

"Deej, it's Cain, I'm back with food." DG got out of bed and opened the door a bit to look at him.

"Well, that's a waste. I'm not hungry." She tried to close the door but he got his boot in and pushed it open.

"You don't eat and you die and the Mystic Man haunts me for the rest of my natural life." Once he was inside, DG locked the door behind him.

All at once and without warning, DG broke down in sobs and slid her way down the door until her back rested against it. Cain set down the plate and did the only thing he could think of. He pulled her into his arms. He knew that 'it'll be alright' was not going to help her at all, so he just rubbed her back as she stained his shirt with tears for the second time in 24 hours. Instead of feeling burdened or tired by her like someone else might have, Cain felt himself almost happy to be comforting her… He had come searching for her the previous night at the request of her mother and done his duty as her body guard. He had dove into the water after her because it was his job. He shot the gypsy man and took two bullets because it was his obligation. But this wasn't in the job description. Something else was the driving force behind this kind of care, and it was something he hadn't truly felt in a long time.

"What the hell is wrong with me? DG sobbed into his chest.

"Nothing's wrong with you. You're perfect…ly fine." Nice save.

"Oh, fine my ASS. I want to take a bath but after nearly drowning twice, I'm scared shitless. Also, the only person I'm not afraid of touching me or seeing me is you…" She paused to sob and Cain felt a butterfly do a little dance in his stomach. "Oh, and on top of it all, I still have no idea why my magic suddenly got stronger."

Cain stood up and picked her up, moving to put her back in bed, but when he got there, her hands remained firmly clasped around his neck.

"Please just hold me." That's all it took for any semblance of guardly manners to melt from Cain's existence and he sat down on the bed, arms wrapped tight around her. The only thought going through his head currently was about the talk he would be having with Raw about DG being supposedly 'fine'.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing DG noticed when she woke up was that she was sleeping in someone's arms. The second thing that she noticed was that it was Cain. She felt her stomach involuntarily flip. Cain was clearly asleep, so she carefully leaned up and kissed his cheek and then gently disentangled herself from him arms. He yawned but he didn't wake up, just crossed his arms and leaned against DG's headboard. DG smiled and grabbed her robe, heading to the bathroom to try a bath. She closed the door behind her and turned to look at the bath, taking a deep breath.

She couldn't do it.

DG took a washcloth out of the closet and wet it, washing her face and then she leaned over the tub and used the spout to wash her hair. She toweled off her hair and turned to the mirror and began to brush her hair.

Suddenly a hand went over her eyes and another over her mouth. DG panicked, thinking frantically.

***

Cain woke up, hearing the water in the bathroom running. He thought DG must've been okay with water again.

Cain got up and picked food off the uneaten plate from the night before. Someone knocked gently on the door and he opened it to find Raw and Azkadellia standing there. He grabbed Raw's arm and yanked him inside the room.

"What do you mean 'DG's fine'? She's a headcase! At this point, she could probably give Glitch a run for his money!" Cain was more then a little angry.

"Raw mean DG's body fine, she innocent again!" Raw was extremely overwhelmed by the emotions Cain was projecting, one in particular. Azkadellia stepped inside the room and placed her hand on Cain's arm. He slowly relaxed.

"Viewers can't heal cerebral damage, Mr. Cain."

"Just read it," Raw muttered under his breath but Cain shot him a 'you better keep your mouth shut' look.

Suddenly, they heard a scream from the bathroom and DG threw the door open, running to Cain, who thought fast and caught her.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm a… a little more powerful then I thought…"

Cain looked at her questionably and then took her hand, leading her into the bathroom. On the floor, laying there unconscious was Zero.


	7. Chapter 7

"He's good? Since when?" Cain paced in front of the fireplace in DG's room while Azkadellia and DG sat on the couch.

"Since DG blast him with magic," Raw explained. Az tried to take DG's hand but DG just took it back. Cain noticed this and stopped pacing.

"Alright furball, I'll take your word for it." He knelt at DG's feet and put his hand on her knee.

"I need some air." DG took Cain's hand from her knee and held fast to it. Cain nodded and they both stood up and left the room.

"Since when did THAT happen?" Az asked after watching the exchange between her sister and the Tin Man.

"Raw notice it for first time when Cain bring DG home other night."

"You wanna tell them they glow, or should I?"

"Handle Zero first."


	8. Chapter 8

DG pulled her hair over one shoulder and braided it as she sat on the swing in the gazebo. Cain leaned against one of the pillars and watched. Absent-mindedly, he played with his wedding ring and put it in his pocket. His hand felt like it was burning.

"Ow!"

"What is it?"

"I don't know, my hand feels like it's burning." DG stopped braiding her hair and stood, walking to him.

"Let me see it." She took his hand and looked at is both sides. She couldn't see anything wrong with it, but she closed her eyes and concentrated on healing his hand. "Better?"

The whole time he had been watching her intently. When she spoke, it barely registered.

"Yeah… thanks." DG nodded and sat back down on the swing, this time facing away from Cain. That's when she blushed. Her stomach did back flips. He had taken his ring off. She finished braiding her hair and looked out over the lake where all of this had started.

Cain just stared at the back of her head.

***

Cain and DG came in from their walk and walked back to her room hand-in-hand. They passed The Queen and Ahamo in the hallway, and they too noticed a change in DG and Cain. When the two got back to DG's room, Raw and Az were still there.

"Deej, we've been thinking, and Raw thinks he can figure out why you changed so much. Would you be up for it?" Az asked kindly, making note of the way DG clung to Cain.

"Where's Zero?"

"In the infirmary until he can be put up for evaluation."

"Alright. I'm up for anything that'll explain what's been going on." DG and Cain both sat on the couch and DG still gripped Cain's hand.

"DG must let go Cain's hand so Raw can read mind…" DG forgot how tightly she was holding Cain's hand and she quickly let go. Raw placed his hands on DG's head and she closed her eyes as her mind raced. After a few minutes, Raw let go.

"Well?" Cain asked.

"DG not raped. DG saved."

"What are you talking about, you said you healed her…"

"No. DG saved by Glinda."


	9. Chapter 9

Raw was really in it and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to talk his way out of this one.

"Raw knew DG not raped. Just said she healed to calm Cain."

Cain was furious but he was trying to keep his cool for DG.

"So you lied. What happened to me, Raw?" DG was quiet.

"Glinda save DG. Give DG the Gift."

"What gift? Raw, what are you talking about?" Cain finally spoke.

"Glinda's Gift." Azkadellia spoke. "Legend has it, the youngest member of the Gale line of woman would receive Glinda's powers and cast the last of the evil from the OZ. I didn't get it because I'm older, but you, Deej…"

"I got Glinda's powers… wait, how do you know I wasn't raped, Raw?"

"According to DG's brain, Glinda appeared before DG and man frightened away. Man claim DG for marriage, not…"

"We get it," Azkadellia said gently. Realization came to DG and for the first time in the days, she smiled. She looked up at Cain who was observing her questionably. She blushed because she had something else to ask and she knew it would embarrass Cain.

"So… how exactly did I wind up naked laying next to the lake?" As predicted, Cain blushed and slightly cleared his throat.

"Glinda's powers cleansed you and returned you to the condition you would've been in had you stayed in the O.Z. Anything concerning the Otherside was dispelled from you upon transformation, including something as insignificant as your past haircuts, hence the hair…" Az smiled. DG took her sister's hand and smiled in thanks.

"I need some time to think this over." Az and Raw nodded and filed out of the room. As soon as the door closed, DG threw her arms around Cain's neck. He laughed on impact and he had to sit on the window seat to keep from falling over.

"Feeling better?"

"Much. Now that I know that my body never fell into the wrong hands, I feel like I'm in control again." DG blushed, realizing her hands were still around Cain's neck and she let go, but not without letting her hands fall and rest on Cain's chest. It was an impulse, but she put her hand on his cheek. "Thanks for dealing with me."

"It's what I do," Cain joked.

"Seriously, I must've been psycho…"

"I don't know what that means, but you really weren't that bad… Though you swore like a sailor…" DG blushed again. "I'd do it again." Cain was absolutely sincere.

"What would I do without you?" DG smiled sweetly. Cain felt his heart skip and he was sure DG had to have felt it under her hand. He smiled back.

"Get in a lot more trouble." DG laughed and hugged him again.

"I think I'll be okay to take a bath now. Why don't you come back in an hour? I think I need to tell my mother what's been going on."

"Okay. I'll go check on Zero. Raw hardly ever lies but I know Zero too well to believe he's good now…" He gathered his hat and coat from their usual perch on the back of her armchair.

"Alright. Bye." DG watched him leave and he turned back and gave her a half smile at the door before leaving, which caused DG to smile after he had gone.


	10. Chapter 10

DG went into the bathroom and started the water. She felt much safer, knowing the power she was now capable of, and within a few minutes, she had settled into a hot bubble bath. DG closed her eyes, breathing in the lavender soap.

"DG." A woman's voice spoke. DG opened her eyes and turned her head to see a woman sitting at her vanity… but she could definitely see through the woman. DG blinked a few times and pinched herself nonchalantly to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Are you a ghost?" DG asked quietly.

"I'm a memory."

"Who are you a memory… of?"

"I am the memory of Adora Cain." DG sat up straighter in the water and felt her face flush.

"Oh." That was all DG could say.

"Glinda sent me to you. She tells me that you are in love with someone but you don't know it."

"I am?" DG retorted, confused.

"My husband has saved you many times, I understand."

"Yes…"

"Taken bullets for you, four in all."

"Um…" DG was feeling incredibly guilty.

"Dove into icy water to save you."

"He's… he's my bodyguard, he tends to get me out of sticky situations often…" DG looked down at her hands guiltily.

"And yet it hasn't occurred to you that maybe he loves you?" Coming from the wife of the man in question, this shocked DG.

"No… I can't say that it has. I guess because of..."

"Me? He has had his time to mourn."

"But…"

"DG. He doesn't know it, but I gave him permission to remove his wedding ring today. It's time. He knows he's feeling something for you, but he doesn't know what."

"Why did you come to me?" DG asked honestly.

"To make sure you know that it's okay to love him. You'll never remember ever having met me after this, but you must take action soon. He's not a young man, DG."

"I guess not…" DG couldn't even wrap her head around what Adora was saying.

"But he is your match in every way. After all, what age except…"

"Just a number." DG finished for her, nodding.

"Whatever you decided to do, DG, take care of him. He has as lot of life left."

"I will."

Adora's memory began to fade and she smiled at DG.

"Wait, Adora?"

"Yes?"

"Is he my 'One'?"

"Yes DG."

"Then… who was yours?"

"A man who died in battle before the Witch took power. He was a childhood friend of Wyatt."

"So… Wyatt," the name came so naturally to her tongue. "Married you to take care of you for his friend."

"Yes."

"Didn't you love Wyatt?"

"Yes, I did. But I loved him because he took care of me and because he was a loyal friend. I never loved anyone like I loved Anthony."

"DG? Are you okay?" Cain's voice came on the other side of the door and DG looked at the door, wondering how much he had heard.

"I'm fine, I'll be out in a minute!" DG called pleasantly. When she looked back to her vanity, Adora's memory was gone. DG only had a moment's confusion before forgetting she had ever seen Adora and she got out of the bath.

DG decided to experiment with her new powers. She closed her eyes and first concentrated on drying off. Next, she summoned a simple smoky blue velvet dress from her wardrobe, which appeared on the floor at her feet, folded nicely. She smiled and put the dress on. Next she picked up her brush and made a very daring move.

"Cain? Can you come in here and help me? Don't worry, I'm decent." DG's blush went unnoticed as he opened the door.

"What is it?"

"I need help brushing my hair, it's too long for me to handle." DG watched him clear his throat in the mirror and she handed him the brush. He took it and gently began brushing. "Thanks."

"Zero really has changed," He quickly changed the subject. "He took one look at Azkadellia and remembered how he had been in love with her before he was corrupted by the witch." DG was sure surprised.

"I didn't know Az and Zero had a thing…"

"Neither did I, but that's what Glitch told me. Speaking of Glitch, he's got his brain back."

"Really? Does he still misfire?"

"Very rarely, but if you get him on the topic of fishing, all he does is misfire…" Cain chuckled and DG smiled.

"Cain? Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot." He stopped brushing and she turned around to face him. She didn't speak right away because she had to figure out the right way to say what she had to say.

"Were you in love with Adora?"

"I thought so, but I think I loved her because she was the mother of my son, not because I was 'in love' with her…" Cain couldn't believe he had just told her that, but the way her hair felt in his fingers was mesmerizing.

"Can I tell you something really personal?"

"Sure."

"I think I'm in love." DG moved almost unnoticeably closer to him.

"Is that why you asked me about Adora?"

"Yeah. I wasn't sure how to tell…"

"Tell that you're in love?"

"Yeah." DG moved even closer and he wasn't backing away.

"Do I know the guy?" Cain was staring right back into DG's eyes and both were hardly breathing.

"You do."

"Is it… me?" He whispered the last word as DG stepped so close that there was almost no space between them.

"Boy, you're good." DG whispered back and realized that if she just tipped her head up slightly, she could kiss him.

"That's funny." Cain muttered.

"What?"

"I think I'm in love with you too…" He admitted willingly.

"That's convenient."

"Mmmm…" DG made the first move, but Cain followed right along. She gently narrowed the gap between them and kissed him tenderly, bringing her arms up to rest on his chest between them. He put one hand on her cheek and the other around her waist. DG felt like her heart would burst and a single tear met his hand on her cheek.

"Are you crying?" He rested his forehead against hers.

"No, that was the only tear." DG smiled and kissed him again.

"Come with me, we've got a few things to tell your parents." He offered her his arm and DG took it, leaning her head on his shoulder, and followed him out of her room.


	11. Chapter 11

"You can hold my hand, you know," Cain chuckled as DG walked next to him, unsure what to do with herself. They were on the way to talk to her parents about Glinda's Gift. She laced her fingers in his and blushed. Cain observed to himself how pretty she was when she blushed and he smiled. DG caught his eye and she laughed.

"Sorry. This changes a lot, you know." DG smiled.

"You're probably right."

"Just be prepared. I have a feeling that mother will want to talk you off my protection detail."

"Well, I'm here to stay, so I might as well be your bodyguard too. Besides, that gives me a reason to be with you all the time." He nudged her with his shoulder and she bit her lip.

"For now, let's keep this to ourselves. I'd rather not tell them until after they know that I'm alright." DG speculated and Cain nodded. They reached the throne room and DG let go of Cain's hand reluctantly. He opened the door for her and she stepped inside. The Queen and Ahamo were having breakfast.

"DG, my darling! Are you feeling better?" The Queen smiled at her daughter and nodded kindly to Cain.

"Yes, thank you. I found out why I was feeling under the weather."

Ahamo turned and looked at her, surprised.

"Raw helped me. As it turns out… I have received Glinda's Gift…" DG watched as both her parents' jaws dropped.

"But that's a legend… that's never been proven." Ahamo was trying to be rational, but DG shook her head.

"No, trust me. She came to me in a dream…" She stopped herself. She didn't want to tell her family what had happened by the lake. Especially the part involving Cain.

"But DG, how can you have Glinda's Gift? You haven't found your true love." The Queen stated blindly.

"What do you mean?" DG didn't know about that part of the story.

"Glinda lost her true love in the Great War. It was said that the youngest daughter must find her true love before she is given the gift. You would be sent a sign if that were the case." Ahamo explained. Azkadellia entered the room during Ahamo's explanation and she immediately realized how DG got Glinda's Gift. She HAD found her true love.

"Azkadellia. We were just talking about Glinda's Gift."

"I heard. You don't believe her, do you? Let me show you something." Azkadellia grabbed Cain's arm and pulled him up next to DG. She put DG and Cain's hands together and sure enough, the emitted a glow. The Queen dropped her fork and it clattered on the plate.

"The last part of the prophecy was destroyed by the witch, but I know what it said. The youngest daughter must be saved by a man that would be her true love." DG motioned to Az not to say anything but she didn't understand.

"What do you mean? Mr. Cain, when did you save DG?" The Queen addressed Cain and he knew it wasn't his place to say. He looked down at DG, whose hand he was still holding and she looked back at him, nodding.

"A few nights ago I went searching for DG after she wasn't in her room. I found her next to the lake and a gypsy man tried to shoot her so I shot him." He left out any details that would've left a black spot on her record. DG squeezed his hand in thanks and he squeezed back.

"He also cared for her after that, she was suffering from serious Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the incident, that's why I told you she was under the weather. He made sure she had everything that she needed, and he was the only person she trusted." Azkadellia knew DG was leaving details out, so she did too.

"Well… DG… how do you feel about Mr. Cain, since he's supposed to be your… true love, and all…" Ahamo asked, awkwardly. DG half smiled and laced her fingers in Cain's again.

"I…" DG blushed. "I'm pretty sure he's the best thing that's ever happened to me." She decided not to use the L-word; she wasn't sure her parents were going to accept him.

"Well, I would be a hypocrite if I told you that you couldn't be with him. We must being wedding preparations." The Queen smiled warmly.

"Wait… wedding preparations? I don't think I'm ready for that, mother…" She looked up at Cain who only smiled in support. "Not that I don't want it eventually, but I just need to settle first. It wouldn't be fair to Cain… Wyatt," She corrected herself. Her parents looked angry but Cain spoke up.

"I'm prepared to support DG every step of the way, whatever she wants." DG leaned against his arm and sighed in quiet thanks. "We've got another mystery to solve." The Queen and Ahamo looked baffled. "Zero has returned. But someone expelled all the evil from his body and now he's undergoing intense evaluation."

"Why didn't anyone tell us sooner?" Ahamo stood in anger.

"Because I need to make my peace with him before he is evaluated," Azkadellia said quietly. "You don't forget loving someone like that." DG took her sister's hand too, holding the hands of the two people that mattered most to her.

"No, you don't." her mother vouched for her. "We'll see what the viewers have to say about him and if he truly is good, he will go unpunished. Banishing the witch was enough for all of us." The Queen grabbed Ahamo's hand and gently pulled him back down to sitting.

"Thank you, mother." Azkadellia hugged her mother and squeezed DG's arm before leaving the throne room.

"May we have your permission to go for a ride this afternoon?" DG asked.

"Certainly. It sounds like you've had a couple of eventful days." Her mother smiled lovingly.

"We'll go now. Thank you, mother," DG hugged her mother and then went to her father. "Thanks, Dad," She whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek. He smiled and patted her hand and then shook Cain's hand.

Cain offered his hand to DG's and she took it, glad that she didn't have to hide anything like they had planned.


	12. Chapter 12

Azkadellia knocked on Zero's door in the healing ward and heard a faint 'come in', so she opened it gently. He was lying in bed with an IV in his arm, staring at the ceiling, just thinking. She walked and stood at the end of his bed and watched his face, riddled with worry lines.

"Why did I do it, Az?"

"Do what, Zero?"

"Go along with the witch's plans." He looked at her.

"I don't know. I don't know how I let her do it." She looked down at where her hands rested on his footboard.

"You were possessed and she was strong enough." He looked out the window, eyes glazed over.

"We had something once, didn't we…?" Az ventured quietly. He closed his eyes for a second and then opened them, looking at her again.

"Yeah, we did."

"Do you think that you could ever… love me again?"

"Always have, Az. Even when the witch possessed you. Since we were kids." He motioned her to his side and took her hand. She laid her head on his chest and he put one of his hands on her head.

"Why do I feel like there's a catch?" Az whispered after a moment.

"Because you're not gonna like the next part." He whispered back as tenderly as he could. "During your reign, I married out of necessity; I lived every day like I was going to die and I promised my father I would continue the Zero bloodline. If I don't return and take care for my wife and sons, it'll all have been in vain." Az sat up.

"So you're saying that you can't love me because you're obligated to your family?" She asked quietly and he nodded. "I respect that." She stood up and stepped away from him.

"Az…"

"No, you're doing the right thing. It was selfish of me to think that you would drop everything for me, the face of the witch that threatened your life daily and ordered you to kill innocent people." Az turned away from him, a slow tear rolling down on cheek, and almost reached the door before he spoke.

"I just want you to know that if it weren't for my promise, I would stay with you." His voice faltered slightly.

"Thanks, Zero. In the long run though, that isn't worth a whole lot." Az didn't mean it meanly, she was being honest. She took one last look at him before leaving the room, sadder then she had been in a long time.


	13. Chapter 13

"Can I ride with you?" DG asked as she and Cain walked out to the stables.

"You're afraid of horses, aren't you…" Cain realized and turned to her, smiling.

"Guilty," DG laughed.

"Of course you can ride with me. Where do you want to ride to?" He asked.

"The Far Side of the lake." DG breathed and Cain looked at her, worried. She was speaking of the same place where she had almost died a few days previous. She just shrugged. "You can't walk unless you crawl first."

They reached the stables and Cain fitted the white charger with a bit and reigns. He helped DG up and then swung himself up onto the horse's back.

"Do you mind if I put my arm around your waist?" He asked politely.

"Wyatt, I'm in love with you. You can do whatever you want." She leaned back against him and he chuckled, snaking his arm around her waist.

"Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's go."

________________________________

A few hours later, DG was lying in the grass with her head on Cain's shoulder.

"Sorry I've been making this awkward…" DG yawned.

"What do you mean?" Cain entwined his fingers with hers.

"I've never been in love before… I don't really know how to handle myself." She was serious, but Cain laughed.

"You're doing just fine. Don't feel like you have to do anything special for me." He kissed the top of her head.

"You're okay with me putting off marriage for a while, right?" DG propped herself up on her elbow to look at him.

"Of course, I would never push you into that." He smiled and brushed her cheek with his thumb.

"Okay. I have this feeling mother will want me to marry before I become Queen." She huffed.

"I'll be here." He smiled and she laughed, leaning in to kiss him.

"What does Jeb think about Us?" DG asked, running her fingers through her hair. Cain covered his face with his hat and groaned. "What?"

"I haven't told him yet. He's been on assignment. I'll talk to him when he gets back." He rubbed her arm. DG blushed. "What?" Cain echoed.

"You still give me butterflies, you know."


	14. Chapter 14

"Az? Are you okay?" Glitch found Az sitting alone in the library. He knew she had been crying.

"Oh… I'm fine." She wiped away her tear trails but she didn't make eye contact. It didn't take Glitch's new brain to know what was wrong.

"You're not fine, look at you." He sat down across from her in the window seat.

"I look awful, don't I…?"

"No, not awful. But you do look upset. Come on, it's Glitch, you can tell me." He smiled at her kindly. Az finally looked at him, surprised.

"You got your brain back, didn't you…"? Glitch looked hurt. "Oh, Glitch, I'm sorry… I just meant… well, you…"

"It's okay. I haven't glitched in a while, I can understand. Yes, I got it back. Now, you wanna tell me what's wrong, or do I have to go get Raw?"

"It's Zero." That's all Glitch needed to know. He nodded and rubbed her arm. "I don't know what's going to happen to him."

"He's got a family, Az."

"I know, I know… that's not what I mean. I just mean, I don't know what he's going to do with himself. It's hard for me to live with myself and I never saw the majority of the killings. Zero actually executed them…" Another flood of tears came.

"He'll get through it. Just like you did. The best way for you to help him is to always be there for him." Glitch said innocently. Az laughed ironically.

"Glitch, a princess can't exactly 'be there' for people."

"Well… if not for him, you'll at least be here. You being alive will be enough." Azkadellia looked out the window. "What, what is it?"

"That may be the wisest thing you've ever said." She hugged him. He smiled to himself over her shoulder and hugged her back. From behind the stacks, DG and Cain had been watching.

"Do you wanna tell them they glow or should I?" DG winked at Cain.


	15. Chapter 15

"Let's go on an adventure." DG turned to Cain at breakfast and he raised an eyebrow.

"Your adventures have a way of getting me into trouble."

"You've been around my sister too much." DG rolled her eyes and rested her head in her hands.

"Jeb still hasn't come home." Cain looked worried. DG put her hand on his arm.

"He will. I…"

"Don't promise, Deej. You don't know for sure." Cain took a deep drink of coffee. DG looked down at her hands, hurt. "I'm sorry, Deej." He pulled her into his arms.

"It's okay. You're stressed, I understand." DG kissed him sweetly. "I've got a meeting with my mother. Can you keep yourself occupied for an hour?"

"Sure." He smiled.

"Okay. I'll meet you in the library in an hour." She kissed his cheek and left the kitchen. Cain sighed and finished his coffee. He had someone he needed to talk to.

About 10 minutes later, Cain walked into the recovery ward. The nurse waved him into the first room. As soon as Zero saw the ex-Tin Man walk in, he sat up straight and pushed himself back against the pillows.

"Cain!"

"Relax, Zero. I'm not here to hurt you; I'm just here to get some info about my son, Jeb. I have the feeling that you're the last one that saw him."

"Jeb Cain was being held in the Realm of the Unwanted when I was there last… They wouldn't have changed his position without my authority."

"Are you positive that that's where he is?"

"Positive. I apologize in advance for the black eye." Zero looked away, ashamed. "Look, Cain… I know 'I'm sorry' doesn't anywhere near cut it… But if I could take it all back, I would."

"In the long run, that doesn't mean a whole lot."

"You must be around Azkadellia too much."

"So I've heard." Cain took off his hat. "Go back to your family, Zero. Forget about me, and I'll try to forget about you."

"I plan on disappearing with my family. I promise, you'll never see me again." Zero was feeling so much remorse about Adora, he could hardly function. He was trying to show Cain how sorry he was.

"As it should be." Cain walked to the door.

"May your hearth be warm…" Zero started when Cain put on his hat.

"And your smoke be blue." Cain sighed and left the ward.


	16. Chapter 16

"DG, my dear, I just want to know why you're not ready for marriage. You've found a man who loves you that you love in return, why not marry?" Lavender Eyes sipped her tea.

"Honestly?" DG sighed.

"Of course."

"I'm a commitment phobe." DG coughed, embarrassed.

"I don't understand…"

"I'm afraid of committing to a relationship of any kind. It's diagnosed."

"By whom?"

"A shrink from the Other Side. I've never really had relationships, save a few meaningless boyfriends, because I'm sort of afraid of it. When I said that Cain's the best thing that's ever happened to me, I meant that for more then one reason. He makes me feel safe, like it's okay for me to commit. Just getting that far is a huge step; marriage would be too much for me still." DG confessed and the Queen nodded like she understood.

"Is Mr. Cain willing to wait?"

"I know he'll be there for me for whatever I need, and I am positive that he'd wait for me."

"Well, I like the man myself and I approve of you waiting. It's very smart of you."

"How's dad feel about it?"

"Well, you know him. He's ready to shoot Mr. Cain the second he hurts you, but he likes him." The Queen chucked and DG smiled. "But when the time comes, he's willing to give you away."

"Good. I don't know what I would do if you two didn't like him. If you couldn't tell… I kinda like him a lot." DG blushed. The Queen smiled.

"I'm happy for you. Go find him dear." The Queen hugged her daughter and DG smiled.

"Thanks, Mom." DG stood to leave the throne room but the door opened and in walked Cain.

"Hey there." He smiled and DG pecked him on the cheek.

"What's wrong?" DG noticed the worry lines on his face.

"I'll give you the whole story later, but the gist of it is, I know where Jeb is, and I've got to go find him."

"What?!?! How'd you figure it out?" DG took his hand.

"Once again, later." He kissed DG's temple and walked to the Queen. "Your Majesty."

"Mr. Cain. Is everything alright?"

"I would like to request your permission to go and find my son, Jeb. He's in the Realm of the Unwanted."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"It's complicated. I just need to take a few men with me and I'll be back in a few days at the most."

"Which men do you want to take with you?"

"Potts, Ray, and Fox. And Glitch and Raw if they'll come."

"I'll go." DG spoke up.

"Absolutely not. You have no munitions or defense training and you're too easily recognized." The Queen put her foot down.

"I have magic more powerful then anyone in the O.Z. I have mechanical training. And you're letting the man that I love run off into sure danger." DG folded her arms.

"She could be an asset, your Majesty. If she hadn't received Glinda's Gift, I wouldn't be for this at all, but she's the most powerful person in the O.Z.'s realm. The unwanted realm could use some purging." He put his hands on DG's shoulders and the Queen seriously pondered their request. Finally, after a few minutes, she nodded.

"Very well. But you must go in disguise, both of you. And if it's going to take more then one day, I want a full report."

Cain nodded. "Will do. Thank you, your Majesty." He took DG's hand and they left the throne room together.

"Wanna tell me this story, now?" DG took his arm.

"Later. Now, we've got to pack." He laughed at her wrinkled nose. "Thanks for coming with me. It… it means a lot to me."

"YOU mean a lot to ME." She smiled. They got back to her room and he kissed her lovingly.

"In the morning, we're off to the Realm."

"I'll be there." DG winked and he smiled, winking right back.


	17. Chapter 17

DG was so anxious to leave that she hardly slept that night. She got out of bed the second that light broke over the mountains. The night before, she had packed a carpetbag full of clothing provided by the cook's wife, a sheperdess. DG thought she would surprise Cain by being ready so early, so she grabbed her bag after dressing and ran to her door. The second she opened it, she was surprised herself to see Cain standing there. DG flushed and smiled.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, smirking.

"To find you, actually." She leaned up and kissed him deeply.

"Well, good morning to you too!" Cain laughed.

"My mother wants to see us before we leave."

"Better not keep her waiting." He took the bag in one hand and her hand in the other.

"You don't have to carry that for me, you know," She said as they walked.

"I know that." He smiled down at her from under his fedora.

"You spoil me."

"Nah. I'm just being nice. I would do the same thing for Az or your mother." He said and DG pretended to be indignant.

"Oh, I see… so now I'm just an average woman." She tried to pout as best as she could.

"Kiddo, you're a lot more than the average woman," He said smugly.

"Oh Gods, Wyatt, that was nauseatingly cute."

"Hey… don't diss the chivalry."

"Chivalry? That's what I call carrying my bag. Calling me 'more than the average woman'? I call that… Lovesick. That's it. Wyatt Cain, Dr. DG pronounces you hopelessly in love." DG winked.

"Oh no, Doctor. Is it serious?" He winked back.

"Horribly."

"Is there a cure?"

"'Fraid not. You'll just have to live with it. Tell me, Mr. Cain, how will you be spending your last days in the O.Z.?"

"I can think of a few ways to spend them…" He pulled her to him and kissed her whole-heartedly until she was panting for breath.

"Sounds good to me…" DG gasped and he laughed.

"Well… save that for the privacy of… anywhere but the middle of the hallway." Az laughed at their embarrassed faces. "Don't worry, I don't mind, but I think Mother might. And Father would have a heart attack right there in the foyer."

"And we wouldn't want that, would we?" Cain winked at DG and snaked his arm around her waist. DG bit her lip and shook her head slowly.

"Good luck finding your son, Mr. Cain. Take care of my sister." Azkadellia shook Cain's hand.

"I will, but I have a feeling it'll be her that's taking care of me." Cain smiled at DG who laughed.

"Stay well, Az."

"I will. Zero is released today. After today… he'll be out of my life." Az was choking back a lot of emotions. DG let go of Cain and went to her sister, gathering her in her arms as a surge of tears hit.

"I know you won't believe me, but love's a lot closer then you think." DG whispered.

"It can't be… he was it. He was my one and only love." Az sobbed.

"He was your first love, Az… but your true love? No, you'll get a big sign when you find him."

"What do you mean?" Azkadellia asked, forgetting all about how she knew DG and Cain were meant to be.

"You'll have a certain… glow." DG spoke and Az suddenly remembered, nodding. "We'll be back in a few days and you and I can have some sister time. Besides, I think Wyatt will need some time with his son."

Az pulled back and wiped her tears, nodding. "Thanks Deej. Mother probably thinks you've left without saying goodbye; you'd better get to the throne room."

"Goodbye Az." DG took Cain's outstretched hand and blew her sister a kiss.

"You're a good sister, you know," Cain said when they were out of hearing range of Az.

"I am?" DG asked, looking up at him. He nodded.

"You tell her the truth, but you do it kindly. No fronts."

"It's what she deserves after being possessed and having to share her body with an evil being."

"Maybe. But I think your bond with her is strong too." They reached the throne room and entered.

"DG, Cain. Come in. You have your clothing for the Realm, correct?"

"Yes, Mother. The Cook's wife gave me a traditional shepherdess' dress." DG motioned to her bag.

"I have a medic's uniform for before we get to the Realm and then a Longcoat uniform for when we get close to where they're holding Jeb. I'll grab my pack before we head out." Cain set down DG's bag.

"Good. Fox, Potts, and Ray will meet you at the stables. You are to camp only near villages and you are not to travel at night. The Longcoats still believe that they are taking orders from Zero so they'll be on the lookout for you." The Queen warned; she was obviously concerned. Cain nodded.

"We'll be careful. I'll send word with Fox once we've found Jeb."

"Good luck." She looked sad and DG went to her.

"Don't worry, Mother. We'll be alright." DG hugged the Queen. Lavender Eyes nodded.

"Go Quickly." DG let go of her mother and took Cain's hand again. Cain picked up DG's bag and nodded to the Queen. They left as quickly as they could to meet their detail at the stables.


	18. Chapter 18

DG and Cain rode side-by-side while Fox, Ray, and Potts flanked them. DG set the pace; she wanted to ride until night fell. They reached a small town called Haan and Cain secured a couple rooms at an Inn, fully intending to give DG her own room and the men would take the other, but DG had her own ideas.

"I'm not staying in here with you!" Cain crossed his arms, back against the closed door.

"Why not? I'm not asking you to have sex with me, Wyatt… just stay. Please?" DG batted her eyelashes playfully and she could see the tough front fading.

"It's not proper, DG. We're not married, you're a Princess, not to mention the heir to the Ozian throne, and I'm a man."

"What does you being a man have anything to do with it?" DG put her hands on her hips.

"I can't believe I have to explain this to you. It doesn't take a lot for men to give into their… hankerings…" He took off his hat and scratched his head. DG raised one eyebrow and took a few steps towards him, seductively.

"Wyatt Cain… Do you have a… hankering… for me?" She stroked his arm and had to try very hard not to giggle at the look on his face.

"I'm not blind DG. I didn't fall in love with you completely because of your personality…" He gulped as DG ran one finger down his chest.

"Do I make you nervous?" DG breathed and stepped even closer.

"You're the one that should be nervous…" He managed to choke out.

"Stay… and I'll stop." DG's hand began to wander lower.

"Okay! Alright, I'll stay!" Cain gave in. DG pecked him on the cheek and flounced away to her carpetbag to grab her pajamas.

"Christ, DG…" Cain sat down in a chair and rubbed his stubbly chin.

"What?" DG said innocently and then grinned. She went into the private bathroom and closed the door. Once the door was closed, she smiled to herself and hummed 'So this is Love' quietly. Her hair was still almost unmanageably long but she did her best to brush it before braiding it. She came out in her fleece pajamas and Cain looked relieved that she wasn't wearing anything revealing. She smiled and crawled under the covers. Cain remained in his chair. He looked very troubled.

"Hey… we'll find him." DG cooed.

"I know." He smiled and took off his coat.

"You need sleep just as much as I do." She patted to bed next to her. "I promise not to torture you." He laughed and got in bed next to her. DG lay on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Goodnight, Deej."

"Goodnight." She snuggled as close to him as she could and fell fast asleep.


	19. Chapter 19

"Princess DG?" A knock came at DG's door very early the next morning. She groaned and got out of bed, trying her best not to wake Cain. She opened the door a crack and looked out. It was Glitch.

"Glitch! You guys weren't waiting at the stables, we thought you had decided not to come with us!" She tried to block his view of inside the room.

"Nah, I just plum forgot, and Raw was visiting Kalm. Cain's not in his room."

"He… uh… he knocked on my door earlier and said he was going on patrol. He should be back soon." DG reassured him. Just as she finished, a small snore issued from Cain and DG's stomach dropped.

"What was that?" Glitch asked innocently. DG grabbed her stomach to stop the butterflies but she got an idea.

"My stomach. I'm awfully hungry. I'll be out in a bit, I think I'll take a bath." She smiled at Glitch who nodded, and thankfully believed her.

"Take your time, Deej." He waved and DG closed the door and sighed a sigh of relief.

"Your stomach?" Cain mused, watching her from the bed, hands behind his head. DG's eyes got huge.

"You've been awake this whole time? You could've given me away!" She ran over and began beating him playfully with her fists until he decided to fight back and it turned into a tickle fight. Finally, Cain had her pinned to the mattress. DG raised one eyebrow and closed her eyes concentrating. After a few moments, she felt free and she opened her eyes. She heard a bump under the bed followed by a 'shit!' and she leaned over the side of the bed and laughed when she saw Cain rubbing his head.

"That is not fair." Cain crawled out from underneath a bed. DG kissed him on the cheek and patted his head, which instantly felt better. She flounced into the bathroom and ran the water for a bath.

"Wyatt?" DG called through the closed door.

"Hmmm?"

"Since I told Glitch that you're on patrol, you'd better get climbing out the window, or you'll betray me to all the men out there." DG bit her lip trying not to laugh. Cain cursed under his breath and she heard the leather from his coat flap and the window open. Once she was sure he was gone, she opened the door again and looked out. She couldn't see him anymore so she shut off the water and went back out into her room.

"Thanks for getting rid of the Tin Man, Princess." She heard the cocking of a gun behind her head.

"Don't you dare shoot me, you ingrate. You'll wish you were never born." DG closed her eyes to concentrate and that's when the handle of the gun made contact with the back of her head.


	20. Chapter 20

DG woke up in a dark room and she tasted blood. Her feet and hands were bound and her cheek was pushed into the dirt. A door somewhere in the room opened and someone was dragged inside and thrown against DG. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out.

"We found this one climbing out her window, abandoning her."

Cain.

"Did he put up much of a fight?"

"Not after he saw Johnson carrying her, unconscious."

"Good, we know that she is his weakness."

"Is she conscious?"

"Not by the looks of it. I hit her awfully hard."

"Good. We'll send a full report to Zero." The door closed behind the Longcoats and the room was dark again. DG knew she had to heal herself before she could help Cain so she closed her eyes, gritting her teeth and let the light flow through her. She felt everything heal and she concentrated on disintegrating her bindings. Once she was free, she turned over and sat up, putting her hand on Cain's arm (he was laying on his side).

"Wyatt. Wyatt, are you awake?" She tried to see him in the dark. He groaned almost inaudibly but it was enough. She concentrated all the energy she had on healing him, whatever was wrong. In the end, it was all the love she had for him that saved him; it was the last of her energy. When she could sense that he was alright, she collapsed next to him and breathed heavily. He turned over and pulled her into his arms. They both just rested for a moment, both aware of how lucky they were at that moment to be alive.

"They took Glitch and Raw too. I don't know what happened to Fox, Ray, or Potts."

"I can't believe we were caught…" DG sighed into Cain's shirt.

"We weren't in disguise. We should've disguised ourselves before we left."

"Well, now we've just gotta focus on finding Jeb." DG wrapped her arms around Cain's neck, afraid to let go.

"I don't even know where to start…" Cain sighed.

"Dad?" A small, weak voice came from somewhere in the darkroom.

"Jeb? That you, son?" Cain tried to search the room but he couldn't see. "DG, can you make the room any brighter?"

DG produced a ball of light and the two of them faintly saw Jeb slumped in the corner.

"Jeb!" DG crawled over and quickly focused on healing him. Once he was healed, the three of them stood and Cain embraced his son.

"How long have they had you here?"

"Months. I'm not sure how many, but I've been here a while. Zero himself used to come once a day to beat me senseless, but he doesn't come anymore. Mostly, they just take turns." He was seething angry and it was rubbing off on Cain. Cain didn't have time to say anything else because the door was thrown open and three nasty guns were trained on the three of them. Jeb and Cain stepped in front of DG but all three officers cocked their guns.

"Look boys, it's a family reunion." One of them chuckled.

"How… sweet." Another one leered. Two guns were heard to be cocked right behind then Longcoats. None of the three prisoners could see their savior. The three guards tried to turn and shoot their assailant but each was shot, like dominos. When the guards had fallen, Zero stood above their bodies, guns smoking.

"Zero?" Cain asked, in disbelief.

"I figured you could use some help." He holstered his guns again.

"What do you mean 'help', you bastard?" Jeb screamed at him but DG grabbed his arm.

"Trust me when I say this, Jeb. You're way behind."


	21. Chapter 21

Cain and DG quickly filled Jeb in about the Gift, Zero becoming good, and everything else, leaving out their newfound romance, something they figured they could spring on him later. Zero found where Glitch and Raw were being held and got them to DG. Raw's only problem as a viewer was that he couldn't heal himself.

"I'm sorry to say this, but your three men on detail were killed outside the Inn" Zero took a jacket off one of the dead Longcoats, followed by the other two. DG gasped and put her hand to her mouth.

"One thing I don't understand in all of this: Why are… were these men so evil when you've supposedly expelled all the evil from the O.Z.?" He put his arm around DG to comfort her.

"They weren't evil," Zero explained. "They just took orders. You know the saying 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely?' They were underlings just trying to stay alive." Zero handed Jeb, Raw, and Glitch the uniforms of the fallen Longcoats. "Cain and I already have uniforms. Princess DG, would you be alright with pretending to be our prisoner?"

"Absolutely not. If you all get to go 'G.I.', then I'm going Dominatrix." DG folded her arms and Cain bit his cheek so he wouldn't laugh.

"That isn't safe. The only female Longcoats are superior officers; no low-ranking Longcoat has ever seen one." Zero buttoned his jacket.

"Then let me be the first." DG closed her eyes and concentrated. Zero tried to protest but Glitch gave him a 'just give up' look. Within a few short minutes, DG had light blonde, almost silvery hair and it was bobbed right above her chin. She tried to imagine something in a cross between Lara Croft and Cat Woman. She knew she had achieved the desired effect when Cain cleared his throat. Last, she gave herself large weapons. She opened her eyes and smiled seductively at Cain.

"I'll disguise the rest of you. You're all too recognizable, seeing as how we're on every wanted poster in the O.Z."

"I agree, that's a good idea." Zero nodded and looked down the hallway to make sure they were still safe.

First, DG went to Raw, giving him a male form: Red hair and no beard. Next, She went to Glitch, making him a Dusty blonde with a goatee. She giggled at this, Glitch was NOT meant to be blonde, but it would keep him from being recognized. Then, she went to Jeb, giving him short, spiky black hair. Last, she went to Cain and circled him once before giving him a shoulder length dark brown ponytail and dark brown beard and moustache. She laughed out loud when she was done, as did Glitch.

"What?" Cain asked.

"You look like this actor on the other side… never mind. Moving on…" DG pulled one of her giant handguns from her belt and cocked it. "Let's go, Men."

"Aww… Why does she get the big guns?" Glitch whined, following her. The pathetic look on his face was only emphasized by his knew look.

"Because SHE'S in charge." Cain reminded him and he and Zero strode behind her, side-by-side. When they reached the main floor of what turned out to be an underground bunker in the Realm, about ten Longcoat guards met them.

"What were you doing down there?" One of the minions raised his gun to DG.

"I wouldn't speak to General D'Arc in that fashion if I were you, foot soldier." Zero stepped forward, grabbing the lapel of the soldier that had spoke.

"I… I didn't realize. My apologies, General."

"You're lucky, maggot. I seem to be in a good mood. You may live another day, though the Sorceress will hear of you." She seethed. The other soldiers moved out of the way and Zero threw the soldier to the ground. DG sauntered through the soldiers and out of the bunker.

"General." A soldier took a knee in front of DG on the street.

"Soldier." DG nodded.

"The Seeker wishes an audience with you. He is waiting in the Pub."

"Tell him that I shall come, though I do not like to be summoned." DG shooed him away and shot Cain a look that he received. The six of them walked the ten paces to the Pub, which, by the looks of it, was actually a brothel. Zero entered first, clearing a safe path for the rest of them.

"General, he is upstairs." Zero reported.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. You, Fox, and Potts will stay down here and keep watch." She nicknamed Glitch and Raw in honor of her fallen men. "Ray and Abel will accompany me upstairs." Zero nodded and DG, Cain, and Jeb went upstairs to the meeting room. When Cain and Jeb secured the room, they closed the door.

"That's my girl." Ahamo smiled at DG who smiled back.

"Dad, what the hell are you doing here?" DG sat at the table across from him.

"Making sure that you're alright. I had Az track you through your magic. I knew you were near the Realm because you used your magic this morning." Ahamo explained and DG fought not to blush, knowing exactly why she had been using her magic at that moment in time.

"We're fine. We found Jeb; he's the one with the black hair. I disguised all of us and Zero helped us walk out. Now we've just got to get home."

"First, you've got to get out of the Realm. You have to turn in a summation in order to leave the Realm, everyone does."

"Well, let's give 'em a reason to let us leave.


	22. Chapter 22

"No, Deej."

"Cain…"

"No."

"Wyatt."

"No."

"Wyatt Daniel Cain."

"Absolutely not."

"It would get us out of the Realm. And, I would feel safer if I were being lead by Zero and You with Jeb, Glitch, and Raw restraining my father."

"Something could go wrong. Someone could try to shoot you. And if that happened, a Longcoat throwing himself in front of you would look a little suspicious." Cain was pacing in front of the curtained window in the pub.

"You… you will not take another bullet for me. Besides, I am the most powerful person…" DG was livid, but Cain had her in Spades.

"GOD DAMNIT, DG! YOU ARE NOT INVINCIBLE!" He lost it.

"Would you leave us alone, please?" DG spoke quietly to the others in the room. They all obliged and quickly left. Cain folded his arms across his chest and bit his cheek until it bled.

"When I signed on to protect you, I meant that I would do just that. I cannot run the risk of you being injured or killed."

"You aren't protecting me because you made a promise to the Mystic Man. You're protecting me because… you love me." DG made a realization. She looked up at Cain and waved both their disguises away. Cain looked much more serious as his normal self and DG could read everything in his eyes. Cain bit his lip and turned away from her. He'd be damned if she saw him cry again. DG went to him and walked around the other side of him, taking his cheek in her hand.

"I already lost the woman that bore my son… and I'll be damned if I lose the woman I love." He managed to let out. DG gently brought her other hand to his face but he sank down to his knees. She pulled his head to her side and stroked his hair. She felt her shirt grow damp and it broke her heart to see him cry. She knelt down in front of him.

"If it means that much to you, I won't do it." DG pulled him into a hug and they both just breathed together for a second.

"I'm sorry about this…" He started.

"Don't be. I'd rather you cared too much then not at all." She whispered and he chuckled at this.

"We'll figure something else out. Besides, we've got Zero on our side."

"He's a wonder, isn't he?" DG asked quietly. Cain nodded.

"I think he's trying to do whatever he can to make up for…" He choked.

"It's okay. I understand."

"Anyway, maybe he has an idea." Cain tried to get up but DG kept her hand on his arm and leaned up to kiss him with all the love behind it that she had in her heart.

"I owed you that." DG smiled and rested her forehead against his. She waved their disguises back and they both stood.

"I love you, Deej." He whispered from the side of his mouth as they walked to the door.

"I love you too, Tin Man." She whispered back.


	23. Chapter 23

"Raw get hurt. DG heals. Get DG home. Simple." Raw shrugged. DG smiled.

"Raw, that's genius. The Sorceress needs viewers. Nobody would kill a viewer because they fear the Sorceress. Raw, can you pretend to put up a fight?" DG put her hand on his arm.

"Raw fight. Raw be fierce." He growled and DG laughed.

"Perfect. Alright, in a second, Raw will roar and we'll make a lot of noise and I'll lead us down the stairs. Cain and Zero will have Raw's left, while Jeb and Glitch will have his right. Ahamo, father, will come along as my informant in the front. Raw, are you ready?" DG asked, pulling one of her guns from its holster.

"Raw more than ready." He took his starting stance. DG gave him the cue and he roared louder then anyone in that room had ever heard. DG fired two shots into the ceiling and they all stamped their feet, making their way to the door. DG grabbed Ahamo's arm and they opened the door heading downstairs. Everything went according to plan. The girls in the pub scattered and DG pushed over any tables that were in her way. Outside the pub, Longcoats clustered, but the second they saw DG, or General D'Arc, they too moved out of the way. They got to the opening of the Realm and to everyone's surprise, two female Generals guarded the entrance. DG quickly recalled every Star Wars/Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter movie she had ever seen and did what she could with her magic to alter the women's memories so that they remembered her.

"Ladies," She seethed.

"D'Arc. Or do they call you Joan now?" One of them snickered.

"I see you've found a viewer. You always did have a soft spot for wildlife." The other retorted.

"Well, Mab," DG smiled maniacally. "I seem to remember you favoring Tin Men… And we all know what happens to Tin Men… Don't we, Abel?" She was addressing Cain and he grinned evilly.

"Yes General. That we do." Cain raised an eyebrow. Mab seemed furious at the implication.

"Leave her, Mab. Let the witch deal with D'Arc." The General that was Morgan grabbed Mab's arm.

"You may pass."

"Thank you, ever so kindly." DG mock-bowed to the two ladies as they passed, pulling Ahamo along with her.

"You got guts, kid," Ahamo whispered to her when they passed through the Realm into the open field.

"I learned from the best," DG hugged her father. DG then waved Raw's disguise back on and turned to Ahamo. "I've got to disguise you too, father." He nodded and she closed her eyes, turning his hair to a light brown and making it very short. She then gave him a Longcoat uniform and they were off to Haan to buy some horses.


	24. Chapter 24

That night, they camped around a fire in the woods. DG sat on a log, next to Glitch so that Jeb didn't catch on to her and Cain. She got lost in her thoughts as the sun was going down. Everyone except Cain retreated to his tent to camp and he brought a blanket over, wrapping it around both of their shoulders as he put his arms around her. She leaned into him and let her head rest on his shoulder. She tilted her head up to look at him and he looked down at her.

"Hi." She whispered.

"Hi." He whispered back.

"We've had a long day…"

"Yes we have. You… were amazing." He kissed her forehead.

"You weren't so bad yourself. I'm sorry about the Tin Man comments…"

"That was perfect. I'm not sure they would've believed you if you hadn't said it."

"You wanna know something funny? I've never shot a gun before tonight." DG giggled when Cain pulled away to look at her.

"Could 'a fooled me." He pulled her back to him.

"I did fool you."

"And everyone else." They both laughed. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Someday, when you're ready and when times are easier… will you marry me?" This time, DG pulled back to look at him.

"Yeah…" She nodded, a few tears forming as she smiled. "Can I ask _you_ a question?"

"Of course," he smiled.

"Someday when I have to take over all of this… will you become King?" DG took his hands. He looked confused. "I'll supposed to take a Consort, but I don't think that I can do this if you're not right by my side."

"You're stuck with me, kiddo." He kissed her tenderly.

"I know you don't like promises, but just… just promise me that you'll talk to Jeb soon."

"I promise. Once we get back to Finaqua, I'll talk to him." Cain nodded.

"Shouldn't you two be asleep?" Zero came out of nowhere.

"Probably." DG smiled at him, but Cain remained stoic.

"I am sorry that I disappeared. I had a visit to make." Zero sat down across the fire from them. DG didn't worry about pulling away from Cain since Zero knew pretty much everything about them.

"Your family?" DG asked, leaning further into Cain as a slight breeze came up.

"Yes."

"And?"

"My sons don't remember me, my wife nearly shot me through the heart with my own rifle, and she refused to take me back in." Zero stared into the fire. "I could've fought it, made her take me back, but… I don't love her. If she thinks that she can live without me, so much the better." He wasn't angry, but DG could tell that he was conflicted.

"What are you going to do?" DG asked quietly.

"What I should've done before we left." He didn't say any more and DG didn't press.

The smoke filled DG's nostrils and she snuggled into Cain's side, slowly falling asleep. She was absolutely exhausted.


	25. Chapter 25

"General D'Arc." DG jolted awake. 'Potts' or Glitch was staring down at her.

"Potts."

"We've received a pack of viewers to transport to the tower." Glitch indicated a group of viewers that were being restrained by about seven longcoats. DG's face didn't reflect her alarm but it was present in her eyes and she knew Glitch saw it. It suddenly occurred to her that Cain wasn't around, which was probably for the better.

"Send the new soldiers back to Generals Mab and Morgan. We'll take the viewers to the tower ourselves. They think they've inconvenienced me. This will show them." She stood and strode over to Zero who was giving one of the longcoats a very hard time.

"Zero. We'll be transporting the viewers to the tower." DG took her gun from its holster and popped out the barrel, loading it with blanks.

"The tower?" he whispered. "I thought we were going back to Finaqua."

"Plans change." DG spun the barrel and reholstered the gun. "Notify Captain Abel of the change in plans." She looked around for Raw who was one step ahead of her. With Jeb's (or Ray) help, he had bound himself behind a tree where he couldn't be seen. DG quickly waved his disguise away and grabbed his arm, pulling him to standing and dragging him over to the cowering group of viewers. DG purposely brushed against one of the elder viewers so he would read her mind and know that she was on his side. He blinked in understanding at DG after she tied Raw to him. She would later come to know this viewer as Hap. Cain, who had formerly been speaking with Zero, stamped up to DG.

"General D'Arc. I was under the impression that we were destined for the palace at Finaqua." He folded his arms in real adamancy.

"You were misinformed. We will be transporting the viewers to the tower."

"Why the sudden change in orders, General?"

"If we can't shake the other soldiers, they have to think that we're really on business of the witch. These soldiers would've been in the Realm when we expelled the witch and they wouldn't know that she's gone yet." DG explained through gritted teeth, 'tending' to the bindings on Hap's hands.

"I'll see what I can do to get rid of them. Potts hasn't been doing such a good job of it." Cain brushed shoulders with her as he passed to reassure her.

"I shall notify the other viewers that we are to remain cooperative." Hap let out a low growl that to anyone on the outside would've appeared a warning.

"You'll be safe. That's a promise."

"Thank you… Princess." He only breathed the last part and DG's eyes fluttered for a second, the only indication of her surprise. She took out her gun and shot a blank at the steel toe of her boot, which to all the spare longcoats, appeared to be a warning shot. Hap growled in mock pain and the other viewers jumped back and growled. DG reholstered her gun and strode over to where Cain was talking to the group of crony soldiers.

"But Captain…"

"You question my direct orders, maggot?" DG cocked her gun and held it to his forehead. The soldier just gulped in response. "Return to your generals. Tell them that I have more than enough experience with the parasites to handle it. And don't return to me with another message. Or I'll give you a hole in your head the size of the one in that viewer's foot." Thank goodness for DG, the soldier didn't doubt that she really had shot Hap in the foot.

"Yes… Yes Ma'am. Move out men." He sighed a sigh of relief when DG pulled the gun away from his head. DG mounted her horse and trotted it around the group of viewers until the longcoats were out of sight. Just to be safe, she dismounted and spoke to Raw directly.

"We'll be taking them to Finaqua, but to be safe, we'll head for the tower first, just in case we're tailed. Tell them not to fear." She got back on her horse and rode back to where Cain was seated atop a black charger.

"Looks like we're headed for the tower. We'll stop every hour to let them rest; I feel bad enough making them travel bound. When we are sure we haven't been followed, we can turn back towards Finaqua."

"You sure have a way with planning, Deej."

"I learned from the best." She smiled at him and she would've kissed him, if circumstances had been different. Instead she nodded and rode to the head of the whole group. "Let's go, Men.


	26. Chapter 26

A long day's journey was ahead of them. Had they been heading for Finaqua directly, the trip would've taken just a few hours on horseback, but the tower was many miles to the north of the Great lake. As promised, every hour, they would stop and rest. DG would wave away their bindings for about ten minutes before reestablishing them. Cain, Ahamo, and Jeb would ride back and scope, while Glitch climbed to the top of a nearby tree and scanned the horizon. Lucky for them, the longcoat soldiers had taken DG's threat to heart and they were not being tracked. Meanwhile, Zero hardly ever spoke. DG didn't know what he had mean before by 'what I should've done before we left' but she had a feeling it had something to do with Az, which twisted her stomach into knots. As the sun went down that day, they had not yet reached the tower and DG proposed they set up camp in a clearing. A stream ran about half a mile off from the clearing, which would be perfect for all of them to bathe in. Once everyone in the group who wanted to bathe had done so, they all settled around a large fire, once again.

"Mr. Cain, I just had a thought." DG spoke to him across the fire and she could see a hint of a smirk at the title.

"Ha, Mr. Cain…" Glitch snickered but Raw elbowed him in the ribs. Jeb looked at Glitch funny but he didn't think anything of it.

"Yes, Princess?" He answered. Two could play at that game.

"We never sent word to my mother about finding Jeb, and we might as well tell her that we will be delayed." DG was aware of how worried her mother must be.

"We've lost Fox now… Once you've written the letter, I will take it." He bit his cheek, knowing that she would not be for that at all. DG swallowed her indignation.

"Very well." She looked down at her hands, almost giving herself away, but to her surprise, Jeb spoke up.

"I'll take it. If I appear then the Queen will know that I am safe, and I'll convey our purpose in going to the tower. I could gather more men to meet at the tower in case you are apprehended." He seemed eager to go and DG looked at Cain for a split second before looking at Jeb.

"We're off course now, it'll be another day's ride to Finaqua."

"I don't need much sleep or food; I learned to regulate that in the resistance. I'll take the fastest horse and be there in a flash. Besides, everyone knows Dad's the best shot; I wouldn't have him go off and leave you with only one Central City trained fighter." He nodded to Zero who nodded back.

"Alright, I guess it's settled. I shall write a letter for you to carry and in the morning you can leave for Finaqua." DG stood and shrugged the burlap blanket from her shoulders. "Goodnight, gentlemen." She barely glanced at Cain but half of her wanted to slug him for offering to go, and the other half wanted to kiss him senseless. She gave into neither side, retreating to her tent. She received a few 'goodnight's from the others. Once inside her tent, she sighed, fishing out her paper and a pen from her pack. She would write one letter to her mother, but she'd be sending another one to her sister.

_Dear Mother,_

_We have found Jeb. Unfortunately, in a scuffle with some longcoats, we lost Fox, Ray, and Potts, hence why we sent Jeb to you himself. We are all okay, and we are well disguised as upper-ranking Longcoats. Unfortunately again, we were 'burdened' with a pack of viewers that the longcoats caught and we have a feeling we're being followed, so we must detour to the Tower, rather then coming straight home. If you would send ten men with Jeb back to meet us at the Tower, we might be able to get home sooner. _

_Meanwhile, Zero caught up with us in the Realm and helped us to escape unharmed. He tried to return to his family but his wife wouldn't take him, so he's coming back with us. He's very melancholy; I'm not sure what to do with him. Hopefully he can find something in Central City to do, but his face is now notorious so I doubt that would do him much good._

_Please make sure Az gets the other letter enclosed._

_Love,_

_DG_

DG reread the letter several times and she thought it sounded unfeeling and cold, but she wasn't sure how to write a letter happily that bore such mixed news. It didn't sound like her at all, really. But it would be enough. She moved to her next letter.

_Dear Az,_

_So much has happened, I can't believe it. On the first day of our journey we stayed the night in Haan, a little village just outside the Realm. The next morning, we were apprehended by longcoats and Fox, Potts, and Ray were all killed. Cain and I were taken to a bunker in the Realm after being brutally beaten, but I don't remember anything until I awoke in that hellhole. I managed to heal Cain and myself and then we realized that we had put in the same holding cell as Jeb. Three longcoats came to retrieve us for execution but Zero showed up and killed all three of them. We found Raw and Glitch in another cell and I managed to disguise us as Longcoat officials. I had no idea that women could be Generals, but according to Zero, it's very common, so my disguise is General Joan D'Arc. Remind me to explain to you later why I picked the name. Anyway, father met us in the Realm and we managed to get out of the Realm by playing like father had found a viewer (played splendidly by Raw) and we were going to take Raw to the Sorceress. Nobody in the Realm knows that she's been defeated, so we got out pretty easily, except for the two Generals guarding the gate, Mab and Morgan. Remind me to explain to you the irony of their names later. Anyway, we got out of the Realm and began our ride back to Finaqua. We camped outside Haan for the night and in the morning we found that Mab and Morgan had sent a pack of viewers to be taken to the Tower with about seven longcoats. We managed to ditch those particular longcoats, but I have a feeling we are being followed. We have to stop every hour and rest for the sake of the viewers; I feel horrible having to transport them bound, but what if we were __found? Father is doing quite well; he acts as my scout when need be. As it is, Cain and I can show no affection at all because he has no idea how Jeb would feel about it, and because in the presence of other longcoats, he has to be subservient. I don't really know what to do about it, but we savor every free moment we have. In that same vein, Zero tried to return to his family after we got out of the Realm, but his wife wouldn't take him back. I asked him what he was going to do now and he said 'what I should've done before I left'. I don't know what that means, Az, but I'm pretty sure it's got something to do with you. Whatever happens when we get back, just be careful. I trust him now with my life, but I don't want you to get hurt. Whatever you decide, I'll support you. Anyway, we're heading to the Tower and we'll be delayed probably a few more days. Please have mother send ten more men with Jeb, we could use any help that we can get. I'm not sure what awaits us at the Tower._

_My apologies for the astronomically long letter._

_Love,_

_DG_

Rereading this time took a little bit longer, but DG had a lot to tell Azkadellia about. When she was done, she folded the letters, struck a match for the hot wax, and then pressed her seal into it, sealing the letters. She tied a string around them both, and then she got an idea. She still wasn't sure of the extent of her magic, but it didn't hurt to give something new a try. She folded her legs and put the letters at her feet.

"If the wrong eyes see these pages… turn the pages into… gages…" She snorted at the rhyme. "If the reader be of good… of love let these tidings… brood." She bit her lip, laughing. "But if the reader be of vile, let them seem to be of guile." She held her hands over the pages and for a second, a bright light surrounded them. She clapped her hands in delight and then slipped the letters under her pillow. She changed into her pajamas and slipped into her sleeping bag. She closed her eyes to sleep, but sleep never came.


	27. Chapter 27

DG was awake the entire night, worrying about who they might encounter at the Tower if Jeb did not arrive with the men in time. When dawn broke, DG made sure she was disguised, before packing up her tent and sleeping bag. Everyone else was already awake and packing up. DG took the letters to Jeb who placed them in his horse's satchel. After making sure Jeb had proper provisions, DG prepared the viewers for the rest of the journey. They were grateful to DG for her kindness, but DG felt awful for the way she had to treat them. While she was talking to Hap, she noticed Jeb storm over to Cain out of the corner of her eye. He had something in his hand and she realized what it was. Jeb had read her letters. She bit her lip and realized she still had her hand on Hap's arm when he chuckled.

"Princess and Tin Man found out…" He whispered to her with a wink. DG nodded and winked back, smiling. She never heard Cain come up behind her so when he spoke, she jumped.

"General D'Arc. May I have a word?"

"As you wish, Captain Abel." DG fought with all her might not to smile as she lead Cain further into the wood where they wouldn't be seen.

"Would you care to explain _these_ to me?" Cain held up her letters, opened. She took them from him and laughed out loud when she read them.

_My Dearest Dorothy,_

_The hours drag on and still we cannot be together. Ever moment that I am not holding you in my arms is a moment fallen by the wayside. I only wish that we could give up this masquerade and show our true affection._

_Yours forever,_

_Wyatt_

The second one read:

_My Angel,_

_I feared for you today, having to lead a group of rag-tag men and not be in the comfort of refinery. I only wish that I could offer you the comforts of the great palace, but alas, I am only an ex-Tin Man. What would you want with me? My heart beats every second for you alone._

_Love Love Love,_

_Wyatt_

DG was crying she was laughing so hard. She had to grab Cain's arm and he was not amused.

"I…" laugh. "I charmed…" snort. "The letters so… so that…" laugh. "Anyone who isn't Az…" snicker. "Or Mother would read… read something else…" She wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. "Anyone who's good reads a love letter, and anyone who's bad reads a treacherous letter. I didn't specify the subject of either letter in the spell. The magic must've just taken it from my subconscious." She looked up at Cain who was still scowling and burst out laughing again.

"I don't mind that you used me… but I would NEVER write like this!" He hit the sheets with the back of his hand.

"What, your heart doesn't beat every second for me alone?" DG snorted again. Cain was beginning to soften and he smirked. "Let me see those." She took the letters from Cain and waved the spell off them, revealing her original letters. "Let me try again."

She sat down on the ground and put the letters in front of her like she had before. She decided to do them one at a time to be safe.

"This letter's meant for Az alone. For her eyes-only do I condone. Because I am of noble rank, render this letter totally blank. Until Az reads this note, remain bare to all who tote." She held her hands over it once again, letting the light flow through her and seal the letter. "It's not a perfect spell, but it'll work." She then took her mother's letter and placed it in front of her. "My mother's help do I require so that my time does not expire. Until in my mother's hand does it rest, stay blank… it's… all for the best." DG shrugged and then sealed that letter too. "Now you won't have to worry about… what was it? Our _masquerade…_ being found out." DG smiled mischievously and went to deliver the letters back to Jeb when Cain's fingers closed on her wrist and yanked her behind a tree.

"Don't think I'm going to give up 'holding you in my arms' now that we have a second," He whispered huskily and DG waved away their disguises.

"Oh really? Is that so?" She smiled. She could see the fire blazing in his eyes and she knew she was about to be kissed senseless.


	28. Chapter 28

"So, what did Jeb say to you?" DG asked before they walked back to the camp.

"He asked me why I wasn't honoring the memory of his mother. He asked my why I was, and I quote, "Lusting after a girl half my age". He asked me why I wrote you such sickening letters instead of just telling you how I feel. Then, he told me that if I didn't tell you that I love you, he would do it for me." Cain chuckled. "He's a man conflicted." DG took his hand, smiling.

"Is he okay with it?"

"If he isn't now, he will be. After the fall of the witch, he was in love with someone, but I don't know what happened to her. He started doing more work for your mother, cleaning out longcoats and such, and I think he sort of… forgot about her, if that's possible." Cain just sort of thought to himself and DG didn't ask anymore. Cain leaned up against a tree, still holding DG's hand.

"Something I've been wondering…" DG started, squeezing his hand. "Is why you came looking for me out at the Lake that night." He pulled her into a hug, resting his cheek on top of her head.

"Something told me you were in trouble. I knew it for sure when I opened the door to your suite and saw the balcony door open with the bed sheet rope tied to the railing." He noted and DG laughed. "But, I decided not to go barreling after you because you could've just been in your normal trouble, upsetting some traveling vendor or something. So, I climbed down after you and for whatever reason, I walked out to the lake. I kind of panicked when I saw you lying by the side of lake but then you stood up. At the time, I wouldn't have admitted it, but you looked like a goddess." He stopped and DG rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him.

"And that's when I tried to get to you." DG looked up at him.

"Yeah. I think that I have probably never actually had my heart stop before, except for when you fell through the ice." He rubbed her back.

"D'Arc? Abel?" They heard Glitch calling.

"Damn." DG sighed.

"We'd better go. Jeb will be anxious to leave." Cain kissed her forehead. DG made sure they were disguised before they walked back out into the open.

"So much for leaving early," Jeb grumbled when he saw them. DG smugly handed him the letters and then mounted her own horse. Zero, Raw, Glitch, and Ahamo had finished packing up camp so they were ready to go. They watched Jeb depart in the opposite direction and then DG spurred her horse on, anxious to reach the Tower.


	29. Chapter 29

The sun was scorching; even Raw got sunburned. They tried to ride as quickly as possible but the viewers couldn't run while they were bound. Soon, they began to see other groups of longcoats and they could no longer run the risk of being caught undisguised. Several times, DG was approached by lower ranking longcoats and each time, she was forced to tell them that they were bound for the Tower. As it happened, many of the other longcoats were destined there too and DG saw all her plans going slowly down the drain. After a while, she was hopeless.

"General." A man approached her.

"Take a knee in front of your superiors," Cain growled at him. The man immediately took a knee, which made him substantially shorter since DG was still on her horse.

"We've apprehended another group of viewers to be transported to the Tower."

"Very well. We shall take them."

"Permission to speak freely?"

"Permission to speak, but I will decide whether or not it costs you." DG scowled.

"That would make… 25 viewers. Are you sure that you can handle 25 of them?" He barely had time to finish before DG had a gun trained on his head.

"General D'Arc can handle anything. She is the foremost usurper of viewers in the O.Z. Or did you skim your history books, maggot?" Cain was enjoying torturing the boy.

"Yes Sir. I mean, No sir. I meant that it would be too much for me, not the General." He bowed his head and then stood hesitantly, DG's gun still dangerously close to his head.

"You may leave my presence. I wouldn't dare speak to me again, if I were you." DG holstered her gun and rode past the boy. The meetings with the other longcoat groups were frequent and often went much like this one. By the time they reached the tower, they were transporting almost 40 viewers, all who were clued in on DG's identity. As they reached the Tower, DG realized that her ability to concentrate had gone down. She didn't realize how much trouble she was in until she looked over at Cain and watched his disguise fade. She frantically tried to focus and renew his disguise but she couldn't. Zero noticed it too and he quickly signaled to Cain, Raw, Glitch, and Ahamo that they were no longer disguised, but not before they were spotted.

"Traitors in our midst!" Longcoat soldiers swarmed the horses; only DG and Zero went untouched. DG knew she had enough power to keep herself hidden, at least for a while anyway, but she absolutely panicked.

She watched Cain be dragged away and her heart was in the pit of her stomach.

"General D'Arc! I see you've brought gifts for the Sorceress! When she arrives from the great palace, she will be pleased." A man who was clearly below her rank addressed her.

"I don't do it for the witch, Silvius." DG thanked every God she could think of for being able to figure out his name. She removed her leather gloves and took her gun out of the holster to clean it.

As Zero spoke with Silvius, DG ran through everything she had seen around the Tower.

Two things were very clear. Number one: The Queen's army was nowhere to be found. And Two: Ten men were NOT going to be sufficient.

She searched with her magic through the Tower for where Cain and the rest had been detained. She could feel that he had received a few slugs to the face, but besides that he was fine. The rest seemed fine too. DG was tired after just that simple magic; there was definitely a block up on white magic.

"General." She was brought out of her stupor. "The Alchemist has received orders from Generals Mab and Morgan, who received direct orders from the witch to examine the spies in person."

"Very well." DG paced the room, only once glancing at Zero who remained stoic. Soon, five longcoats brought Cain in, followed by five more for every other prisoner. DG's heart skipped a beat when she saw how blood had been gushing from Cain's nose.

"General Mab said that you could handle making an example of the spies yourself." The officer Silvius spoke.

'Damn Mab,' DG thought. 'Goddamnit."

"The General speaks true. But how… how to make an example of them?" DG paced, making time for herself.

"May I suggest that you have the Alchemist make them head-cases?" Silvius said.

"Obviously that wouldn't stop them, soldier!" She gestured to Glitch. She continued to pace and regained her composure. "No, for them, we need something quick."

"That would be merciful, general," Silvius spoke and immediately realized that he was out of order when DG wheeled on him, fire in her eyes.

"I am above torture, lieutenant." DG seethed.

"That cuts out hanging then," Silvius spoke again and DG kept her composure, though she wanted to turn around and shoot him through the heart.

"Shoot me." Cain spoke up and DG felt her blood run cold. What happened to 'you will not take another bullet for me'? She wheeled on him, showing as much anger as she really felt.

"Why would I give you what you want?" She bit back the tears that were bubbling to the surface.

"Yes, General. Shoot them, and make the others watch." The officer spoke and DG looked to Zero who could only nod in agreement. DG took both guns out of her holsters and cocked them, pointing them both and Cain's shoulders, hoping that she could keep her hands steady. If this didn't kill him, she most certainly would. She took a deep breath and wrapped her fingers around the triggers.


	30. Chapter 30

"I suggest you drop those guns, General D'Arc." DG did just that as Azkadellia walked in the room holding Jeb by the collar. "You didn't honestly think that I wanted you to execute them yourself? And let you have all the fun?" She smirked and threw Jeb on the floor next to his father. "Gentlemen, leave the General and I with the prisoners. Let the women do the Women's job." She held up her hand, throwing the doors open. The men look surprised, but they filed out. Once the door closed, Azkadellia threw her arms around DG.

"Oh Gods, Az…" DG let her disguise fade and she practically collapsed in relief. She then rushed to Cain; she didn't care who saw now. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed.

"Thank goodness you sent Jeb, you never would've survived on your own. Lucky for you, they still think I'm the Sorceress." Az dared a glance at Zero, who was standing there with his mouth open. She then held out her hand to Jeb. "I hope I didn't hurt you."

"If you did, it was probably just a bruise on my knees." He held onto her hand a little to long for comfort, but only Azkadellia and Zero noticed. DG still held fast to Cain's neck and he held her as tight as he could.

"I thought I told you that you were not going to take another bullet for me, Wyatt Cain." DG bawled.

"I didn't, did I?" He whispered in her ear.

"You know very well that if Az hadn't come in, I would've had to shoot you." Another wave of tears broke.

"Would've been worth it." He said sincerely.

"What would've been worth it? You dying? Me killing you? I don't think I can bring people back from the dead, Wyatt. I'm pretty sure my powers don't stretch that far." DG whispered because she didn't want to make a scene, and because she wasn't sure if she could make anything louder then a whisper come out. Neither said anything else, they just held each other while DG's tears petered out. Az had been aiding the others and getting them patched up. They were all trying not to watch DG and Cain, but nobody accept Zero and Az had seen them together before then. It was clear to everyone at that moment that there was something much deeper going on between them. Az suddenly got an idea.

"Deej! I know how we can get out of the tower!" She exclaimed. DG pulled away from Cain just enough to look at her, puffy-eyed. "The sun-seeder!"

"What do you mean, Az? That thing only works on the sun, we can't use it for anything else." She sniffed and rested her temple against Cain's cheek.

"How did you get into the Tower when you defeated the witch?"

"We… climbed through it." DG came to realization.

"The men are waiting about a mile from here; we can meet them."

"But we'll need disguises again, Az. I can't do much magic in here." DG tried to wave her disguise back on and nothing happened. She may have had Glinda's Gift, but when she was tired, she couldn't stand up to black magic all by herself.

"If we're spotted, I can claim that I caught you trying to escape. You'll be able to do magic again once we get through the ducts and outside the castle walls. I'll be able to help you then. I can't lift the block now because I can't do black magic anymore." Az explained. DG nodded and she and Cain stood together. DG took his hand and a deep breath.

"Let's go."


	31. Chapter 31

Getting down to the brain room was easy; there weren't many longcoats because they had to have top security clearance to get above the third floor. However, once they got to the brain room, it was a different story. Azkadellia and Zero went in first, just to be sure the coast was clear. The others waited behind the pillars just outside the room. They could hear Azkadellia ordering the men inside out of the room, but they weren't going easily.

"Out, men." Zero ordered.

"I must have the room to myself, to think." Az seethed.

"But Sorceress, you made me swear not to leave my post…"

"You dare to disrespect me?" Azkadellia must've raised her hand to summon the man's soul, just as the Sorceress would've done, because the man spoke again, frantically.

"You may have the room, Sorceress!" He ran out of the room, followed by about ten longcoats. When they were out of sight, Cain and DG, followed by Ahamo, Jeb, Glitch, and Raw all hurried into the brain room, securing the door behind them.

"Quick, there's a trap door behind the machine!" Zero motioned, running to unlatch the door in the floor. Everyone except Glitch followed.

"Hello, beautiful." Glitch sighed, looking at where his brain still rested behind glass.

"Glitch, come on!" Az motioned. Glitch kissed his hand and put it to the glass, almost ignoring her. Az grabbed his hand and dragged him through the opening, which would've been a disastrous move had anyone been looking, for their clasped hands emitted a strange glow. Azkadellia though, did notice, and she quickly let go of Glitch's hand. Glitch didn't get it; he just followed along absent-mindedly as everyone descended down the ladder in the tiny shaft.

At the bottom of the shaft, Cain stepped out, checked to see if the coast was clear, and then grabbed DG by the waist to help her down. Jeb was next, but instead of offering him a hand, Cain followed after DG, causing Jeb to fall. Ahamo hopped down and helped Jeb up as he scowled at his father, who was completely oblivious.

"He needs something else to distract his time with…" Jeb whispered to Ahamo who smirked.

"Tell me about it."

Zero and Raw jumped down next and Jeb waited for Az, grabbing her waist just as Cain had done for DG. Azkadellia blushed, but she put her hands on his shoulders and thanked him with a smile. Zero averted his gaze and followed after DG and Cain. Glitch swung himself down and as soon as he landed next to Az, she remembered what had happened before and followed after the others quickly.

'How could Glitch be my true love?' She thought to herself.

'Well, he did comfort you after your talk with Zero.' She frowned. 'First of all, I need to stop talking in third person. Second of all, any good friend might've done that.'

"You okay?" Jeb's hand was at the small of her back and she blushed.

'Wait… Jeb just touched me and I flipped. Again.'

"Fine, just worried about getting past the longcoats." She smiled and continued following DG and Cain down the maze of hallways.

"Wait." Zero stopped DG and Cain from going down the flight of stairs that they had met. "Let me go and make sure the coast is clear. If it is, I'll whistle. If not… make sure that you stay hidden." He glanced at Az and she blanched.

'Oh. My. Gods. He still loves me. I know it.' Az began internally freaking out. 'Glitch is my true love. I have a crush on my sister's boyfriend's son. The man I'm still in love with loves me back, but he's married.' Azkadellia leaned against the wall as her breathing rate increased.

"Az? Are you okay?" DG put her hand on her sister's arm and Az looked at her.

"Let's just say that I could use that sisterly bonding time NOW…" Az whispered fiercely and DG looked at her questioningly. DG was about to ask when they heard Zero whistle. DG took her sister's hand and they all hurried down the stairs to where Zero was waiting at the bottom.

"We need to pass through the dungeons; there's no one guarding them right now." Zero motioned with his head to the door that would lead down into the dungeons. DG nodded, pulling Az along with her as they followed Cain through the door. DG was starting to feel a huge rush of adrenaline and her strength was returning. She noticed that she was almost able to mask herself again and that was a good sign. Azkadellia, on the other hand, was so distracted; she was trying to wrap her head around the three men that wrapped around her heart.

They got through the dungeons quickly and found the outside door.

"Wait…" Zero warned again. "A lot of men usually guard this side. Cain, Jeb, and me will all go first, just in case." Zero cocked his gun and DG looked at Cain, wide-eyed. He looked right back and sighed. DG let go of Az's hand and went to him, grabbing his lapels in her tiny fists.

"Take another bullet for me… and I'll kill you." She kissed him soundly and he kissed her back, as if he would never see her again. He reloaded his gun, cocked it, and followed Zero out the door. Jeb followed him, sulkily. DG watched his back and memorized the wear marks on his duster.

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"The viewers!" She ran back down the long hallway, despite the protests of Az, Glitch, Raw, and Ahamo. She careened around a corner where she heard them calling out and stopped in front of a cell.

"Princess DG!" Hap was inside the cell and he raced to the bars.

"Hap! You guys are coming with us!" DG found the lever that would lift the locks and she pushed it down. All the locks popped out of place and she freed all the viewers. "Go, quickly. I'll follow you." Hap saluted and led the other viewers down the hallway. Once they rounded the corner, DG closed the locks again.

"Princess DG." A gravely voice said behind her.

'Oh shit. Goddamnit.' DG cursed in her head.

"Always trying to do the right thing. How did you get in the Tower, anyway?" She was cornered by about seven longcoats. DG didn't answer his question, she just gritted her teeth. Four men restrained her while the one that was in charge walked closer to her. "You're my type, you know. Feisty. I like feisty." He cackled, stroking her cheek.

"I don't go for tall, dark, and smarmy," DG shot back. He grabbed her jaw and held her face inches from his.

"Did I ask you what you wanted, Princess? I don't think so." He smiled greedily. DG spat in his face and his rage flared. "I'll teach you to spit in my face, you slut!" He had his men hold her still, pinning her to the wall. Next, he pushed back the sides of her leather jacket and ran a finger over her collarbone and then down her sternum to the top of her jeans. He unbuttoned the top button and then grinned at her, forcing a knee between her covered legs. He then went to work on the next button and DG felt anger rise inside her that she had never felt before.

'Oh fuck this.' DG thought about Cain, about how much she loved him, about how he had kissed her not ten minutes before, about marrying him. She thought about Az and clearing her sister's name. She thought about her mother and father, about Hank and Emily. She thought about getting Glitch and his brain reunited. She thought about all those viewers. She thought about her gift.

Without any warning, power beyond anything the O.Z. had ever seen exploded from DG's heart, sweeping up the tower, out every crack, window, and door and rippling across the O.Z. The longcoats restraining her flew to the ground as if they had been punched in the gut. If anyone had thought to watch DG at that moment in time, they would've seen her engulfed in light, floating effortlessly off the ground. But as it was, every longcoat around her feet and in the entirety of the O.Z. was writhing in pain as pure light flowed through their veins.


	32. Chapter 32

DG didn't need magic to tell her that she was dreaming again. She was standing in a field of golden grass that swayed in the light breeze. She let her hand glide over the top of the grass, walking slowing through the field; it seemed like it would never end.

"DG." A sweet voice spoke behind her. DG turned.

"Glinda! How…"

"You've finally realized the potential of your gift. You thought you couldn't do magic inside the Tower, but it was your logic that was blocking you, not the force field of black magic."

"But that doesn't make sense, I gave it a shot…" DG was trying.

"Disguising people? That you could do before the gift. The gift does not give you the power to do simple magic. The gift allows you to tap into the deepest roots of magic and use it at your greatest time of need."

"The longcoat… he was going to rape me." DG shuddered.

"He was going to try." Glinda smiled all-knowingly at her charge. "You can let go of the magic now, you'll be safe."

"But after that, I have to get out of the Tower still and I have to make sure Cain's okay."

"You won't have any problems getting out of the Tower. As for Wyatt Cain, he's probably worried sick. Go to him, DG."

"Thank you, Glinda." DG hugged her. "You're one hell of a fairy Godmother." Glinda laughed.

"Remember me if you're ever in need. My magic shall not fail you."

"How could I forget you?" DG choked up, smiling. Glinda kissed her forehead and DG floated back to reality. At her feet lay 7 unconscious longcoats.

DG tested her magic by disguising herself as General D'Arc and she found that she could do any sort of magic she wanted. She lifted the disguise, remembering what Glinda had said, and she ran back down the hallway to see Azkadellia, Raw, Glitch, and Ahamo standing at the back door, wide-eyed.

"What in the O.Z. just happened?" Glitch asked.

"Glinda just turned me into a golden carriage." DG retorted smartly, hugging her sister who looked concerned. Glitch raised an eyebrow questioningly and DG rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Let's go find the others." She pushed out the door, despite the protests of the others.


	33. Chapter 33

When DG and the others went out the back door, the first thing they noticed was that the grounds of the Tower were literally littered with unconscious longcoats. The second thing they noticed was Cain sitting on the ground about fifty yards away scratching his head, Jeb nudging a longcoat with the toe of one of his boots, and Zero pacing back and forth, seemingly talking to himself. The Viewers filed out as well and they all took their cues from Raw. When he saw DG come out, Cain stood and walked to her, still obviously baffled. DG hugged him and then laughed at his confused face.

"Glinda's been good to me," She whispered. His eyes got huge.

"She helped you again, didn't she?"

"Yeah… When we're back at Finaqua, I'll give you more details, but for now, let's just say that she saved my womanhood…" DG didn't know how to tell Cain she had almost been raped without actually telling him. He got the gist.

"What happened?" He held onto her shoulders tightly, looking fiercely into her eyes.

"Later." She put her hand to his cheek. "All that matters right now is that we won't be bothered by Longcoats…" She sighed, running a finger through her hair and surveying the massive field of unconscious longcoats. "What did it look like on your end?"

"We were surrounded by about ten men the second we opened the door and they all had their guns trained on us. I don't care how good a shot we all thought we were; we couldn't have taken them all. All of a sudden, a light exploded from the edges of the door and from every opening on the Tower and the Longcoats were all propelled backwards. We all prepared ourselves to shoot the first one that stood, but none of them did." Cain dropped his hands from her shoulders and put his hands on his hips. "If things happened how I imagine, you got some serious power, kid."

"Tell me about it… stud." She added 'stud' under her breath and he raised an eyebrow in question, but she just giggled, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. He gestured with his head that they should walk back towards the others. She slipped her hand around his waist and he rested his hand on her shoulders as they walked back to the crew. Glitch was standing over one of the longcoats, prodding his chest with a finger, as Ahamo, Raw, and Zero checked to make sure none of the immediate ten were dead. Jeb was standing with Azkadellia, hand at the small of her back, and she looked like she was about to be sick.

"If I'm seeing things right, Jeb's got a thing for your sister…" Cain whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I think you're right… And I think we've got a problem." DG nodded slightly to Glitch and Cain remembered when they had spied on the two in the library.

"They're all out cold," Zero informed DG as he saw them approach.

"So are the ones inside." Ahamo remarked.

"What are we going to do with all of them?" Glitch asked, lifting the hand of one of the longcoats and then dropping it in the dirt.

"Leave them," Cain said. He looked down at DG tucked under his arm and smiled. "We won't have to worry about longcoats anymore."

"Let's find horses and go home," Az spoke suddenly, looking pleadingly at her sister. DG nodded in reassurance and made a mental note to give Az all the attention she needed when they got back home.

Zero led them, viewers and all, to the stables and all the humans were outfitted with horses. Cain helped DG up onto her horse and then mounted his own. Azkadellia offered to lead the crew and Zero and Jeb flanked her as she mounted her horse. Jeb helped her up and Zero caught her arm so she wouldn't fall she blushed horribly and wrenched her arm out of Zero's grasp despite her stomach pitching sharply. Zero looked as if he had been stung and only DG noticed that his head hung a little as he mounted his horse.

They rode out and met the Queen's army, and after a quick explanation, the men were prepared to escort the Princesses back to Finaqua. DG and Cain chatted comfortably for a while but a matter was pressing on Cain's conscious.

"I really should talk to Jeb…" He said in a low voice. DG nodded and smiled in agreement. Cain kicked his heels and his horse trotted up next to Jeb's. Jeb had distanced himself from the others, clearly in thought until his father approached. DG, meanwhile, trotted her horse beside her father's on the opposite side of the pack.

"DG," Ahamo greeted her, smiling.

"Hi, Dad. I have a question."

"Shoot." He looked ahead, down the road a ways.

"You've hardly spoken since you caught up with us in the Realm. When we're camped, you just go through the motions, but I don't think I've heard you speak more then a few times, and never to Wyatt… Are you okay with me being with him? Or is something else bothering you?" DG tried to be as honest as she could with him. He coughed in surprise.

"No, nothing's wrong. You knew what you were doing, I was just there for support." He smiled at her, but DG wasn't satisfied.

"Are you sure that you don't have a problem with Wyatt?" DG lowered her voice.

"Not at all. He's a good man. Though, Be sure to tell him that he's a horrible liar."

"What do you mean?" DG asked.

"His eyes. That's how Jeb figured you two out. Mr. Cain's face might've remained stoic, but his eyes betrayed him every time he looked at you."

"I thought it was the letters that gave us away…" DG was blushing.

"Nah, those were just salt on the wound. He was pretty ticked when he figured out the Mr. Cain… fancied you." Ahamo cleared his throat.

"Oh shit…" DG muttered. Ahamo looked at her questionably. "He just went to talk to Jeb about it…" DG looked over to where Cain was riding next to Jeb. Jeb's face was very red with anger and he was glaring at Cain. DG saw him mouth something to Cain before kicking up his heels and galloping to the front of the regiment. DG looked back at her father.

"You'd better get back to him." He smiled and DG nodded, trotting back over to Cain.

"How'd it go?" She asked quietly.

"Well, he's fine with Us, if that's what you mean." Cain sighed and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"What was that, then?" DG gestured in Jeb's general direction.

"I may have said something about him fancying your sister…" Cain rolled his eyes, sighing again. "He was so angry and embarrassed that he called me a multitude of names, none of which made any sense, and rode off."

"Sheesh. Well, I think we're all exhausted; I know I am. Just give him some time."

"I'm not worried. But I think I've figured out who he was in love with before…" Cain gestured to Azkadellia who was riding as far from anyone else as she could. DG's jaw dropped but she agreed.

"When we get home, let's take some time for ourselves," DG sighed. Cain smiled and held out his hand to her, which she took.


	34. Chapter 34

They reached Finaqua early the next morning since they didn't stop for a rest and the Army was dispatched back to Central City. As they watched the soldiers ride off for Central City, the crew all felt an enormous weight lift off their shoulders. Well, DG and Cain did anyway. After a quick debriefing with the Queen, they were free to go to their rooms to rest. DG and Cain walked together back to DG's room and Cain fell asleep on her sofa. On any normal day, the Queen would've made a big deal of this, but nobody cared that early in the morning. Glitch took a guest room and Raw slept happily on the rug, while Jeb took the room next to Azkadellia's. Only Azkadellia and Zero remained in the hallway.

"I thought you were going back to your family," Az said quietly.

"I was going to. But my wife tried to kill me and my own sons don't remember me… I can't call that a life…" He said quietly, folding his arms.

"Oh," was all Azkadellia could say. She and Zero stood there awkwardly outside her door.

"Can we talk inside?" Zero finally asked. Az didn't say anything, she just gently opened the door and he followed her inside.

"Talk," Az almost whispered.

"I don't have anywhere to go, I don't have a home to return to or a job to go back to. The only thing that's certain in my life is that I'm in love with you." He walked towards her window. "I told you before I got out of the ward that if it weren't for my family, I would stay with you. Now that they're not in my life anymore, I intend to keep that promise… if you'll have me." He turned back and faced her. Azkadellia felt a hot tear slide down her cheek.

"I need some time to think about this before I give you an answer." She spoke without malice. Zero just nodded and stood there. Az went to the door and opened it for him, gesturing with her silence for him to leave. He took the hint and left the room. Once he had left, Az closed the door and stood there, biting her lip as she heard Zero walk down the hallway and close the door to his own room. How had it all come down to this? She began to think about Glitch and the glow when another knock came at her door. If she had intended to get any sleep that night, she would've have answered it.

"Princess," Jeb spoke softly and Az was surprised to see him. "May I… Come in?" He asked and she opened the door further, letting him in.

"Is everything alright, Jeb?"

"No, I'm afraid it's not." Jeb paced in front of her. "You see, I'm in love with someone and I don't think I can go one more second without her knowing."

"Who's that?" Az asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"You," He turned towards her, eyes glinting in the lamplight.

"Oh gods…" Az said under her breath. Jeb knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his, which she let him do since she was in shock.

"I've been in love with you since the witch was expelled… the timing's never been right. I guess I just want to know if it's all been in vain…" Jeb looked at the floor. Azkadellia hardly knew what to say.

"I… I do like you, Jeb. I need some time before I can give you a straight answer." She squeezed his hands and stood, walking to the door.

"Wait, before I go, can you do one thing for me?" Jeb stood, watching her.

"Sure." She sighed.

"Would you let me kiss you?" It was quiet, but endearing and Azkadellia blushed, hand traveling to her face.

"Yes…" She whispered. He walked over to her awkwardly and put his hand on her cheek. He gently placed his lips on hers, a chaste but loving kiss. Azkadellia felt like her heart would burst… When did she develop these feelings for Jeb? Without thinking, she deepened the kiss, letting her arms wrap around his neck. All at once the memory of Zero's plea flashed into her head and she broke the kiss. She opened the door for Jeb and didn't make eye contact with him as he left the room. She rested her forehead against the door and silently cursed under her breath, more confused then ever.


	35. Chapter 35

Azkadellia truly got no sleep that night. When DG knocked on her door the next morning, Az was sitting up straight in bed against her pillows, eyes bloodshot and staring at the wall. When there was no answer at the door, DG opened it and looked inside.

"Az? Are you okay?" Azkadellia didn't answer so DG came in and sat on the edge of her sister's bed. DG took Az's hand after waving her hand in front of her sister's eyes. "Az, honey, what's going on?"

"Zero is in love with me. Jeb is in love with me. Glitch is my intended." Az stated simply.

"And how do you feel about all of them?" DG asked.

"I thought I was in love with Zero. I feel something more then 'like' for Jeb. I love Glitch as a friend…"

"But that's it." DG finished and Az nodded. "Have you slept at all?"

"No."

"Why not? You look like Hell…" DG tried to say it as lovingly as possible.

"Zero essentially proposed to me last night, and Jeb confessed that he loved me… and he kissed me." Az absent-mindedly put her hand to her lips where she could still feel the sweet kiss.

"Did you kiss him back?" DG asked quietly, remembering that she had left the door open.

"Not at first… but, Gods DG," Az finally tore her gaze from the wall and looked at her sister. "I have _never_ felt that way before, not about anyone." Az looked away again.

"So what's the problem?" DG asked kindly.

"Glitch is my true love, you and I both know that. If I were to marry Jeb, I could never be truly happy because he's not my intended. Not to mention the fact that I still feel something for Zero…"

"Az, love's not perfect… If marrying Jeb meant that you were with the one you love, what else could you ask for?" DG squeezed Az's hand.

"But I waited for Zero for so long…"

"Az. If you choose to marry Zero for his sake, that's the wrong reason. Whatever you decide, it's got to be for you…" DG kissed her sister's forehead and stood up. Azkadellia nodded and gave DG as much of a smile as she could.

DG left the room and closed the door behind her. She padded down the hallway in her slippered feet and sidled back into her room. Cain was still snoring on the couch and DG smiled. The couch was so big that there was easily room for another person so DG kicked off her slippers and laid down next him. He immediately curled around her with his nose buried in her hair and DG gently lifted his arm so that it wrapped around her waist. She breathed out a sigh of satisfaction and closed her eyes.

"You're so lucky that I'm exhausted right now because this could be a very compromising position for you," Cain breathed into her neck.

"I thought you were asleep," DG mused.

"I was." Cain pulled DG closer and put his arm under her head. DG laced her fingers in his. There was something about the way their hands felt together, like the fit perfectly.

DG smiled, biting her lip and thanking whatever god they had in the O.Z. She began to think about everything that had happened over the past few days, and more importantly, the very little time she got to spend with Cain. He was so good to her. Then her brain flashed to the tower when she almost had to kill him. A pain stabbed in her stomach as she recalled when he had been willing to die for her. A breath caught in her throat and she shook, causing Cain to sit up and brush her hair off the side of her face.

"Hey… are you okay?"

"I'm okay. I was just thinking." DG blinked back the tears that had been coming before.

"What about?" He propped himself up on his elbow looking at her.

"You." DG smiled and squeezed his hand. "Az is a little unlucky in love right now and it made me think about Us."

"You think we're unlucky?" Cain smiled, fighting back a laugh.

"No, that's just it. I think we're lucky. We've been through some weird crap these past few days… and yet, here we are. I just want to lay here with you forever." DG smiled at him and he smiled back. He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. She snuggled into his arms and he slowly made circles on her back with his hand. Cain now began to think about what she had just said.

Forever.

She wanted to be with him forever. He knew that she was ready.

"Deej?" Cain asked, looking down at DG who had her eyes closed.

"Hmm?"

"What would you say if I asked you to marry me again?" DG opened her eyes and looked up at him, eyes shining. She smiled bigger then he had ever seen her smile in his life and she reached up and pulled him to her, and kissed him with all the love she could muster. "I'll take that as a yes." DG winked and Cain laughed, sitting up straighter and kissing her again.

"I love you, Wyatt." She whispered in his ear as he held her tight.

"Thank goodness," Cain teased, kissing her temple.

"How could you tell that I'm ready?" DG asked, arms secured tightly around his neck.

"When you tell me that you want to be with me forever, what am I supposed to think?" He winked.

"Good point." DG laughed and then something occurred to her. "You know, we probably shouldn't really make this public until Az kinda figures things out…"

"That's a good idea. Once everything's settled, we'll announce it." Cain kissed his blushing fiancée once more before standing up from the couch. "I'm gonna go talk to Jeb about Azkadellia, he could probably use a little fatherly advice," Cain mused.

"Before you go… you should know that Jeb kissed Az last night… or rather, early this morning." DG was still holding Cain's hand and she squeezed it. He was surprised. "I left earlier this morning and went to talk to her. Apparently Zero also confessed his undying love for her… She doesn't really know what to do."

"Maybe I won't go talk to Jeb then… sounds like the boy can make decisions for himself." Cain scratched his head and sat down next to DG on the couch.

"Az, on the other hand" DG rolled her eyes.


	36. Chapter 36

Azkadellia got out of bed and bathed quickly before braiding her hair and putting on her favorite gown, lavender velvet. She had made a decision.

Az opened the door and called the page waiting at the end of the hall. She handed three pieces of parchment to the page with specific instructions and then walked out to the gazebo. Ten minutes later, Glitch showed up.

"You summoned me?" He said, very scatterbrained.

"Yes… you remember when you comforted me after I spoke to Zero?"

"Sure, doll," He smiled.

"Do you remember seeing a faint blue light?" She sat on the swing. Glitch nodded. "Well, it means that we're… intended." When Glitch looked puzzled, Az just smiled, having imagined that he wouldn't know the legend. "Thanks Glitch. That's all." Glitch bowed awkwardly and then left, passing Zero as he came to meet Az at the gazebo.

"Princess," Zero too bowed awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"Zero. I have an answer for you." She smiled kindly at him, but he missed the sadness in her eyes. He walked toward her and took her hands in his, moving to kiss her, but she stopped him with a gentle touch to his cheek. "Not that kind of answer." He looked down at her hands in his.

"I see." He moved to leave but Az held fast to his hands.

"You have to know why…" Az rubbed the back of his hand in hers, sweetly. "I just resolved the last… 12 or so years of my life after being possessed and finding my sister who I thought was dead. I can barely handle myself right now, and you deserve to start anew."

"I…"

"Don't." Az put her hand on his cheek again. "You need a different life just as much as I do." Zero nodded in understanding and kissed on of her hands before walking back to the palace, passing Jeb on the way.

"Jeb, hi." Az smiled sweetly to him and he smiled back, blushing.

"Hi."

"I have an answer for you." She said, and Jeb knelt down at her feet and took her hands in his. "I do love you." She smiled and he smiled back, surprised, but very happy.

"May I ask you another question?" Jeb asked and Azkadellia nodded. "Will you marry me?"

Az ran her fingers through his hair and leaned down, giving him a loving kiss. When she pulled away, she shook her head and stood, walking back to the palace without another word. Jeb stayed kneeling for a moment, stunned at first, but then he stood, smirking and shaking his head.


	37. Chapter 37

The next day, Az had left without so much as a warning, leaving only a note for DG taped to her door. She packed clothes, food, and a tent, and took her beautiful paint horse. She rode for the mountains, towards liberation. When DG read the note, she wasn't surprised. She showed Cain who knew what Jeb's reaction was, and he was exactly right.

"Jeb, you can't go after her." Cain was leaning against the doorframe to his son's room. Jeb was throwing things in his bag.

"I have to. She loves me." He smiled, closing the drawstring of his pack.

"Son… you know that quote about, 'if you love someone, let them go… if they come back, they're yours, but if they don't, they were never yours to begin with…'" Cain quoted.

"She wasn't mine to begin with," Jeb smirked, slinging the bag over his shoulder and tipping his hat to his father. He went after his girl.

FIN


End file.
